PBS Teaches Me Something

Watching Ken Burns' new documentary, "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson," really taught me something about our shared national heritage. In telling the story of Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion, Burns relies on many contemporary accounts, including blantantly racist commentary by the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune and Jack London. Hearing these voices demonstrated with all the impact of a Johnson right hook that there was once a time, long ago in this country, when people actually cared about boxing. As we move forward into this brave new century, let us not forget that, although what specifically we need to remember about it presently escapes me.