Washington State Overturns Death Penalty

the washington state supreme court, in a ruling october 11, unanimously overturned the state's death penalty. "the death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner," the justices wrote.

this opinion relied on research from university of washington professor katherine beckett and lecturer heather evans. beckett and evans reported black defendants were four and a half times more likely to receive the death penalty - compared to similarly situated non-black defendants.

washington is the 20th state to abolish capital punishment. the state froze its death penalty under a 2014 moratorium by governor jay inslee. washington currently has eight people on death row whose sentences will be converted to life without parole following the court's historic decsiion.  

Boston Red Sox Win 2018 World Series

the boston red sox defeated the los angeles dodgers 5-1, in game five, to win the 2018 world series. the red sox captured their fourth championship in 15 years with stellar pitching, timely hitting and unyielding defense.

boston is the first team in major league baseball history to clinch the league division series, league championship series and world series - on the road. they finished the year with 119 wins, including an 11-3 post-season record, and outscoring their opponents 84-51.

red sox outfielder steve pearce was named most valuable player. pearce hit two homers and knocked in seven runs during the last two games. alex cora, in his first year as such, became the first puerto-rican born manager to win the world series. 

"this is the greatest red sox team ever," said red sox owner john henry after hoisting the trophy. "what a season. what a way to end it," said cora, who stood on the same infield last year as a hitting coach for the houston astros. pearce saluted the fans on the victory platform and shouted, "we're world champions, baby!"  

the red sox had the highest payroll in baseball this year. their multi-talented squad featured all-stars mookie betts, craig kimbrel, jd martinez, mitch moreland and chris sale. boston suffered for 86 years without a title before ending their drought in 2004. they've since won in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

Kavanaugh Confirmed as new Supreme Court Justice amid polarizing battle

the senate confirmed brett m. kavanaugh as the 114th supreme court justice on saturday by one of the narrowest margins (50-48) in history. amid mass protests, their decision ended a contentiously polarizing battle over his nomination and solidified a conservative majority on the court.

kavanaugh denied allegations of christine blasey ford, who detailed in emotional testimony he sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. two other female accusers came forward, resulting in an fbi investigation ordered by the trump administration - but only for a week. 

the fbi did not interview any of the female accusers. 

"it's been a great political gift for us. the tactics have energized our base. i want to thank the mob, because they've done the one thing we were having trouble doing, which was energizing our base," said senate majority leader mitch mcconell (r-ky).

kavanaugh heads to the supreme court politically scarred from the confirmation fight. his victory echoes the 1991 battle over now-justice clarence thomas, who was accused of sexual assault by law professor anita hill. both testified before the senate, and thomas ultimately prevailed.

chief justice john g. roberts jr. has received over 12 complaints of judicial misconduct against kavanaugh but is not referring them for investigation. "we have to rise above partisanship in our personal relationships. we have to treat each other with respect and dignity and with a sense of amicability that the rest of the world doesn't share," said justice sonia sotomayor.

kavanaugh, 53, is a veteran of the george w. bush white house who spent a dozen years on the court of appeals for the d.c. circuit. he was a top deputy in the office of independent counsel kenneth w. starr when starr was conducting an inquiry into bill clinton.  

  

John Nolley is Fully Exonerated of 1997 Murder Charges in Texas

john nolley was exonerated of murder after 21 years.

the fair and just decision took place at a court hearing in fort worth, texas yesterday attended by nolley, his family, his legal team, and representatives from the district attorney's office and bedford police department. 

tarrant county criminal district attorney sharen wilson filed legal papers on wednesday before judge louis sturns to dismiss 1997 murder charges against nolley based on actual evidence. judge sturns granted the motion, and nolley's innocence became legalized.

nolley served 19 years of a life sentence before he was released on bond in 2016. in may 2018, the texas court of criminal appeals decided his 1998 conviction should be overturned - critical evidence had been withheld from his lawyers. but the original charges remained pending until prosecutors' actions october 3.

"today marks the end of an incredibly painful journey for john nolley, who served 19 years for a murder he didn't commit. yet this day would not have come without the extraordinary work and dedication of district attorney wilson and her conviction integrity unit, as well as the detectives in the bedford police department, who put hundreds of hours into a joint effort to re-investigate this case and seek the truth," said nina morrison, staff attorney with the innocent project.

in july 2015, just months after taking office, wilson agreed to re-investigate nolley's case through her office's newly formed conviction integrity unit (ciu). the ciu collaborated with the innocence project and fort worth attorney regan wynn in the 1996 murder of sharon mclane.

nolley is black. mclane is white. 

since the investigation began, the district attorney's office spoke with over 70 witnesses. prosecutors and the innocence project conducted over 100 forensic tests, including dna and latent print analyses. the complete results are not publicly available while law enforcement pursue other suspects. "i do not have any resentment toward anyone at this point," said nolley.          



  

Bill Cosby Sentenced Three to Ten Years in Prison for Sexual Assault

bill cosby left a pennsylvania courtroom in handcuffs on tuesday after he was sentenced three to ten years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in his home 14 years ago. cosby, 81, is now a registered sex offender. he will appeal the decision, was denied bail and ordered to prison immediately.

cosby was found guilty in april 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting andrea constand, a former temple university employee to whom he had been a mentor. constand, now a massage therapist in canada, was joined in the montgomery county courthouse by at least nine other women who accused cosby of sexual abuse. 

constand, in a victim-impact statement wrote, "life as i knew it came to an abrupt halt. i was a young woman brimming with confidence and looking forward to a future bright with possibilities. now, almost 15 years later, i'm a middle-aged woman who's been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward."

judge steven o'neill said as he announced cosby's term, "it is time for justice. mr. cosby this has all circled back to you. fallen angels suffer most." a publicist for cosby, andrew wyatt, decried the verdict outside the courtroom. wyatt called the proceedings, "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the united states."

cosby's defense team argued his relationship with constand was consensual, and the drug he gave her, benadryl, was to relax her because she was tense. after his subsequent arrest in december 2015, cosby's first trial ended inconclusively with a hung jury after six days of deliberations.

but at the retrial here in april - in the same courthouse and before the same judge - a jury convicted cosby, on the second day of their deliberations, with three counts of aggravated indecent assault. one major difference in the second trial was the judge's decision to allow five additional women to testify against cosby. their testimony bolstered constrand's.

cosby faced a maximum 30-year prison term: 10 years for each of three counts of assault he was convicted of. but judge o'neill chose to merge the counts into one, as is allowed when they stem from the same event. under pennsylavania sentencing guidelines, cosby might be eligible for parole after serving three years - and may serve a maximum of 10 years in prison.      

Seattle Storm sweep the Washington Mystics to win the 2018 WNBA Title

the seattle storm defeated the washington mystics 98-82 on wednesday to win the 2018 wnba championship in a three-game sweep. seattle all-star forward breanna stewart was named finals most valuable player. their dominant victory was the third career title in franchise history.

stewart averaged over 25 points and six rebounds in the series, and scored 30 points in game three. forward natasha howard, playing in her fourth consecutive wnba finals, provided a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds in game three. guard sue bird finished with 10 points and 10 assists 

the mystics cut an 18-point lead to five in the fourth quarter, but seattle quickly pulled away. "we were up at halftime, but we knew d.c. was going to come back. it was how we countered that when things got close. that's what really separated us again," said stewart. 

stewart, 24, is a dynamic player with an immaculate resume. in high school, she was the national gatorade player of the year, the gatorade female athlete of the year and a mcdonald's all-american. she won four ncaa titles - and four finals mop's - with connecticut. in 2016, she was the # 1 draft pick, rookie of the year and played on the olympic team. in 2018, stewart was named most valuable player and first-team all wnba. 

seattle won 26 games during the regular season, and entered the playoffs as the #1 seed. last year their record was 15-19. but coach dan hughes, in his first year with the storm, was optimistic despite losing their season opener to phoenix, because they won five in a row afterwards. "i think this was our year. all year you could just see the escalation," hughes said.   

bird, an 11-time all-star point guard, anchored seattle to titles in 2004 and 2010. bird, 37, said, "each championship is special in its own way, but this one is probably going to have a different meaning for me. there is probably no comparison to be honest. i didn't know if i'd be playing at this point. our team went through a rebuild and yes, i decided to stay. once we got stewie and jewell, we knew we'd get to the other side, but how do you know you're going to get to the other side this fast?"  
   

Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic Win 2018 US Open Singles Championships

naomi osaka of japan defeated serena williams of the u.s. 6-2, 6-4 on saturday to win the us open women's singles championship at the billie jean national tennis center in new york city. osaka claimed her first career major singles title, and is now ranked #7 in the world.

osaka, 20, is a charming, humble and shy young woman. she was in tears after defeating her childhood idol. "when i was growing up, i did a whole report on her in the third grade. i colored it and everything. i said, i want to be like her," osaka remarked afterwards.

osaka holds dual citizenship. her father is haitian and her mother is japanese. her father introduced her to tennis as a child. he also modeled her athletic journey, ironically, after richard williams - the eccentric, yet visionary father of serena. 

osaka was dominant at the us open. she dropped one set, and lost 34 games. in the final, osaka had six aces, saved five of six break points, broke serena four times and made just 14 unforced errors. in the second set, williams endured a warning, point penalty and game penalty - resulting in major controversy - but osaka thoroughly outplayed serena and earned the biggest win of her life.

novak djokovic of serbia defeated juan martin del potro of argentina 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 on sunday at the billie jean king national tennis center in new york city to win the us open men's singles championship. djokovic ties pete sampras with 14 career major singles titles, which is third most in men's history. 

"i was hoping he was going to be here, but he's not...he's my idol. pete, i love you" djokovic said about sampras. djokovic was also gracious in honoring del potro, a longtime friend and 2009 us open champion whom, like djokovic, suffered major injuries on the comeback trail. "i believe he'll be here again with the championship trophy, i really do," said djokovic. 

djokovic, a former #1 player, sat out the second half of 2017 due to elbow pain which plagued him for more than a year. "when i had the surgery in my elbow earlier this year, i could truly understand what juan martin was going through. difficult times, but you learn through adversity. i try to take the best out of myself in those moments," remarked djokovic.

djokovic, 31, won his second consecutive major title. he defeated kevin anderson of south africa to win his fourth career wimbledon title in july. djokovic also has six australian open titles, three us open titles and one french open title. additionally, he became the only male to win nine atp titles, after his straight-set win over roger federer at the western and southern open in cincinnati.

Five U.S. states reduced their prison population by 14-25% over the last decade

a new report by the sentencing project describes the changes in policy and practice which enabled five states to reduce their prison population between 14-25%. the book, decarceration strategies: how 5 states achieved substantial prison population reductions, shows how these states' prison population reductions outweighs the national average over the last decade.

the five states profiled in the report (connecticut, michigan, mississippi, rhode island and south carolina) were selected for their geographic and political diversity, and can serve as a model for decarceration throughout america. each state has implemented a range of policy reforms, as well as decision-making by stakeholders.

connecticut: prison population declined 25% from 2007-2016. the state focused on reducing young people's contact with the justice system through changing criteria for detention, raising the age of adult jurisdiction from 16 to 18, and reducing school suspensions.

michigan: prison population declined 20% from 2006-2016. the state increased parole grants by expanding capacity of the parole board, and reduced prison recidivism by establishing technical rule violator centers for enhanced programming and services.

mississippi: prison population declined 17.5% from 2008-2016. the state reduced time served in prison by scaling back the "truth in sentencing" policy from 85% time served to 25%, applied changes retroactively, and adopted a risk assessment instrument which contributes to the doubling of the parole approval rate.

rhode island: prison population declined 23% from 2008-2016. the state reduced time served in prison by eliminating mandatory sentenced for drug crimes, and establishing earned time-credits of 10 days per month.

south carolina: prison population declined 14% from 2008-2016. the state reduced parole violator revocations to prison through diversion to alternative sanctions, and reduced prison recidivism for 17 to 25 year-old people through enhanced job-related prison programming and intensive aftercare reentry services.        

2018 WNBA Year End Awards

listed below are the recipients of the 2018 wnba season awards:

most valuable player - breanna stewart, seattle storm
defensive player of the year - sylvia fowles, minnesota lynx
rookie of the year - a'ja wilson, las vegas aces
sixth woman of the year - jonquel jones, connecticut sun
most improved player - natasha howard, seattle storm
coach of the year - nicki collen, atlanta dream
kim perrot sportswoman of the year - sue bird, seattle storm

Gentrification increases Quality of Life complaints in NYC

gentrification has increased the quality of life complaints made in two predominantly latino new york city areas, west 136th street in harlem and the bushwick neighborhood of brooklyn. 

buzzfeed news analyzed over 17 million calls made to 311 - a hotline for city residents to report non-emergency matters - and compared this with historical demographic and economic data from the census. 

research shows black and brown people are less likely to use 311 to file complaints. as the white population grew on west 136th street and housing values increased, 311 complaints increased from 130 between 2012 and 2014 to nearly 3,000 between 2015 and 2017: mostly about noise.

newcomers explained they relied on 311 to avoid conflicts with neighbors. reporter lam thuy vo said, "while not every 311 call results in a visit from the cops, officers from the local precinct do respond when they're not handling emergencies."

anthony posada of the legal aid society's community justice unit said these 311 complaints eventually led to an increase in policing within black and brown communities.   

International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31

international overdose awareness day takes place august 31. this global event is dedicated to raising awareness of the overdose crisis and the solutions we need to save lives.

drug overdose remains the leading cause of preventable death in the u.s. international overdose awareness day provides an opportunity to affirm the lives of those we have lost while remembering we all have a role to play in helping people live healthier lives.

for almost two decades, the drug policy alliance has been one of the leading advocates for harm reduction policies to significantly decrease preventable overdose deaths caused by drugs in the u.s. 

as a result, the vast majority of states now have "911 good samaritan" laws and some form of access to naloxone - which includes effective policies and meaningful solutions to save countless lives of diverse people across the country.     

Expanding Voter Registration in California and Illinois Jails

in california, a bill - assembly bill 3115 - to increase voter education in jails recently cleared the senate public safety committee. 

the bill requires jails to partner with at least one organization to provide "both written and verbal information about voting rights upon release from jail, providing affidavits of registration to eligible voters with the completion of the affidavits of registration, and assisting eligible voters in returning the completed voter registration cards to the county election official."

illinois governor bruce rauner is expected to sign a bill requiring every jail in the state to provide voter education and make in-person or absentee voting available to all eligible incarcerated voters.

only eight counties in the state have any voting process for people in pretrial detention. "there is confusion around how election code actually applies to the jail," says jen dean, who runs cook county jail votes, the group who helps facilitate registration and voting in the largest jail in the country. den says, "this bill creates a system of uniformity across the state to make sure there are systems in place so that everybody has access to the ballot."  

Angelique Kerber and Novak Djokovic win 2018 Wimbledon Singles Titles

world #10 angelique kerber of germany defeated 23-time major singles champion serena williams of the u.s. 6-3, 6-3 on saturday at the all-england club to win her first wimbledon crown. kerber avenged her wimbledon finals loss to williams in 2016, and won her third career major singles title.

"i think it's the experience. i think you have to go through all the things - the good things, the bad things - and then you need to learn. i know that against serena, i have to play my best tennis, especially in the important moments," said kerber. 

kerber is the first german to win the ladies wimbedon singles championship since steffi graf in 1996. kerber won the australian open and u.s. open in 2016. she broke williams in the opening game of the match and played superb tennis from start to finish; she had just three unforced errors in the first set.

world #21 novak djokovic of serbia defeated world #8 kevin anderson of south africa 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 on sunday at the all-england club to win the men's wimbledon crown. djokovic earned his fourth career wimbledon trophy, and now has 13 major singles titles - fourth most in men's history.

"there were several moments where i was frustrated and questioning whether i can get back to the desired level or not. but that makes this journey even more special for me. it's easy to talk now and look back at it and be kind of grateful, but i really am grateful to go through this kind of, so to say, mixed emotions, turbulence as well, mentally, moments of doubt and disappointment and frustration and anger," djokovic said. 

a year ago, djokovic, 31, quit during his wimbledon quarterfinal because of his painful right elbow. djokovic took the rest of the year off and struggled during the early part of 2018. in april, he reunited with marian vadja, the man who coached him for several years before he worked with boris becker and andre agassi, respectively. 

   

2018 NBA Awards

the second annual 2018 nba awards were presented last night in a live ceremony at the barker hanger in santa monica, california. the winners are listed below:

most valuable player - james harden, houston rockets
rookie of the year - ben simmons, philadelphia 76ers
defensive player of the year - rudy gobert, utah jazz
sixth man of the year - lou williams, los angeles clippers
most improved player of the year - victor oladipo, indiana pacers

coach of the year - dwane casey
basketball executive of the year - daryl morey, houston rockets
sportsman award - kemba walker, charlotte hornets

sager strong award - dikembe mutombo
lifetime achievement award - oscar robertson
twyman-stokes teammate of the year award - jamal crawford, minnesota timberwolves
nba cares community assist award - kevin durant, golden state warriors

play of the year - lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
clutch shot of the year - lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
dunk of the year - giannis antetokounmpo, milwaukee bucks
assist of the year - lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
block of the year - anthony davis, new orleans pelicans
handle of the year - kyrie irving, boston celtics 

best style - russell westbrook, oklahoma city thunder
hustle award - amir johnson, philadelphia 76ers

all-nba first team
anthony davis, new orleans pelicans
kevin durant, golden state warriors
james harden, houston rockets
lebron james, cleveland cavaliers
damian lillard, portland trail blazers

all-nba rookie team
kyle kuzma, los angeles lakers
lauri markkanen, chicago bulls
donovan mitchell, utah jazz
ben simmons, philadelphia 76ers
jayson tatum, boston celtics

all-nba defensive team
robert covington, philadelphia 76ers
anthony davis, new orleans pelicans
rudy gobert, utah jazz
jrue holiday, new orleans pelicans
victor oladipo, indiana pacers

Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal win 2018 French Open Singles Titles

world #1 simona halep of romania defeated world #10 sloane stephens of the u.s. 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 at roland garros in paris, france on saturday to win the french open women's singles championship. halep's come-from-behind effort secured her first career victory at a grand slam tournament. 

halep, 26, lost three major singles finals - two at the french open in 2014 and 2017; and the 2018 australian open. "that's the most important thing. that i stayed there focused. i believed and i never gave up, halep said." she's the first romanian to win a major singles title since her manager virginia ruzici captured the 1978 french open.

darren cahill, former aussie tour player and halep's manager said, "been kicked in the stomach a couple of times when she's had chances. they say the destination is more beautiful if there's a bit of a bumpy road and you eventually get there. and that's what happened to her today." 

world #1 rafael nadal of spain defeated world #7 dominic thiem of austria 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 at roland garros in paris, france on sunday to win the french open men's singles championship. nadal became the first player in the open era to win a major 11 times. his career record at the french open is 86-2.

nadal, 32, has 17 career singles wins in grand slam tournaments, including three at the u.s. open, two at wimbledon and one at the australian open. nadal and world #2 roger federer of switzerland - who leads all men with 20 major singles titles - have won the last six major championships. 

in 2005, nadal won his first french open title at 19. nadal won four straight there from 2005-2008. he won five straight from 2010-2014, and won again last year. "if you tell me seven, eight years ago that i will be here...having this trophy with me again, i will tell you that is something almost impossible. but here we are," nadal said.

Warriors sweep Cavaliers to win Third NBA Title in Four Years

the golden state warriors dominated the cleveland cavaliers 108-85 in cleveland's quicken loans arena on friday to win their second straight nba championship and third in four years. dubs' all-star forward kevin durant was named finals mvp for the second year in a row.  

the warriors joined the boston celtics (1957-66) as the only teams to reach four consecutive nba finals - and win more than two. they also became the ninth team in history to win the finals in a sweep, and the first since 2007 when the san antonio spurs beat cleveland.

durant said, "we just wanted to win, and however it came, we were excited about it. but to win in a sweep feels pretty good." durant finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. golden state all-star guard and two-time mvp stephen curry scored 37 points, including seven three-pointers. 

golden state all-star forward draymond green said, "it was extremely difficult. not just the playoff run but the entire season." warriors coach steve kerr said, "absolutely. there were doubts." kerr became the first in nba history to win five titles as a player and three titles as a coach. 

Marijuana arrests in NYC over last three years disproportionately impact black and brown people

blacks have been arrested on low-level marijuana charges at eight times the rate of whites in new york city during the last three years. latinos have been arrested five times the rates of whites for the same charges.

a senior police official attributes racial disparities to more frequent police complaints about marijuana from residents of predominantly black and brown neighborhoods. people in poor neighborhoods sometimes make marijuana-related police calls because they're less likely to have a building superintendent, co-op board or responsive landlord to field their grievances.

still, among neighborhoods where residents made similar rates of marijuana police calls, the police made arrests at higher rates in areas with black and brown people. new york city's marijuana possession arrests have declined to half of their level under the previous mayor, yet there are still 17,000 such arrests each year.

mayor bill de blasio announced the police would overhaul their marijuana enforcement policy within 30 days to "end unnecessary arrests." the district attorneys of brooklyn and manhattan are considering plans to stop prosecuting the vast majority of people arrested on low-level marijuana charges. police commissioner james o'neill says he will convene a working group to review marijuana enforcement tactics.

Class-action lawsuit seeks damages for Indiana inmates denied voting rights in jail during 2016 November elctions

a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of 150 people unjustly denied of the right to vote in the 2016 november election while incarcerated in allen county jail in indiana. unspecified monetary damages are being sought.

the state prohibits anyone serving time for a felony to vote. but a majority of the jail's detainees on election day were eligible - either because they were pre-trial and and couldn't afford bond, or because they were serving misdemeanor sentences.

indiana law requires all eligible voters be allowed to vote by absentee ballot, and the sheriff has to make arrangements with election officials to provide those ballots. the suit claims sheriff david gladieux neglected his principle duties to ensure all eligible voters get equal opportunity to do so.

attorney david frank, who is representing the plaintiffs, said they believe this is the first class-action suit to seek monetary damages for detainess barred from voting. the lawsuit targets allen county, indiana's third-largest county, but its likely detainees across the state were denied as well. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is restoring voting rights to felons on parole

new york governor andrew cuomo on wednesday signed an executive order to restore the voting rights of felons in the state. there are nearly 35,000 people barred from voting while on parole from a felony conviction.

48 states strip people of their voting rights after their felony convictions. cuomo's order allows felons to vote after completing their sentences. historically, the state legislature refused to change its policies. "i'm unwilling to take no for an answer, i'm gonna make it law by executive order and i announce that here today," cuomo said.

the executive order applies to those on parole now, and those eligible for it in the future. the state's department of corrections and community supervision will submit a list of current paroless to the governor's office. the department will also provide a monthly list of new parolees, and determine their eligibility for conditional pardons to restore their voting rights.

according to the sentencing project, there were over 6.1 million disenfranchised americans in 2016 due to felony convictions. the idea of stripping voters' rights of criminals dates back to ancient greece and rome. some american states adopted these laws around the civil war to oppress blacks. in 2016, one in 13 blacks were disenfranchised - four times the rate of other americans.

  

Jack Johnson pardoned by President Trump for violating the Mann Act in 1913

jack johnson, the first black man to become world heavyweight champion, was pardoned on thursday by president donald trump. johnson was convicted in 1913 of violating the mann act.

trump said last month he was considering the pardon after receiving a call from actor sylvester stallone. "i am taking this very righteous step, i believe, to correct a wrong that occurred in our history and to honor a truly legendary boxing champion. it's my honor to do it. it's about time," trump said at an oval office ceremony.

the u.s. department of justice began investigating johnson after the mann act became law in 1910. the law made it a felony to transport across state lines, "any woman or girls for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose." johnson was convicted by an all-white jury and served 10 months in prison.

the mann act's purpose was to stop human sex trafficking, but the broad language allowed for it to be used to prosecute men for extramarital, interracial and premarital relationships - even if they were consensual.   

johnson finished with a career 73-13-10 record and was inducted into the international boxing hall of fame in 1990. johnson won the unofficial black heavyweight championship in 1903, and defeated canadian boxer tommy burns in december 1908 with a tko in the 14th round to become the first black man to hold the world heavyweight championship.

johnson dominated jim jeffries - the latest to be dubbed "the great white hope" - in taking a 15th round tko in july 1910. the bout took place in reno, nevada, was called "the fight of the century" but also led to deadly race riots across the country. 

jeffries, the former champ who came out of retirement for this fight despite being well past his prime, said, "i could never have whipped johnson at my best. i couldn't have hit him. no, i couldn't have reached him in 1,000 years."

johnson was born in galveston, texas in 1878. his parents were enslaved africans who instilled confidence in their son. johnson was an imposing, strong and powerful man with a bald head and dark skin. he infuriated whites for taunting his opponents in the ring, driving fancy cars, wearing furs and openly dating white women.  

johnson died in a 1946 car crash in north carolina at age 68.