Unforgivable Blackness Film Screening

Join Illinois Tech’s Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs for a screening of Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, which tells the story of the first African-American boxer to win the most coveted title in all of the sports and his struggle to live his life as a free man in and out of the ring. The film follows Johnson’s remarkable journey from his humble beginnings in Galveston, Texas, as the son of former slaves, to his entry into the brutal world of professional boxing. This 2005 biographical documentary was directed by filmmaker Ken Burns and is based on the 2004 nonfiction book of the same name by Geoffrey C. Ward. 

The screening will open with a brief introduction from Sherry Williams, president, and CEO of the Bronzeville Historical Society, and will be followed by a meaningful discussion about how Johnson navigated whiteness. The discussion will be led by Williams and include Mindy Pugh, Illinois Tech archivist, campus historian, and adjunct professor of history in the university’s Department of Humanities.

Free parking is available across the street in parking lot A4 (below the Green Line tracks).