A resolution honoring Friendship Force International and recognizing March 1, 2008 as World Friendship Day.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The gentlewoman from California has eloquently set forth the facts, the simple facts that relate to why we are here today. This is a profoundly important piece of legislation because it transforms a wrong in American history.

I would just like to say that one of the profoundly important things in our time, one of the things that I am most proud of and most pleased with, in fact one of the things that gives me the greatest pleasure in life, is the fact that we are in a time when a person's ethnicity is less important than his or her capabilities.

I think it is time that we ask the President to pardon Jack Johnson, because he represents some of the difficulty in our past. I am impressed that he was killed in a car accident after he sped away from a restaurant that refused to serve him. Every American today is uncomfortable with that. It was a standard at one point in time. It is not the standard in America today, something that I think is wonderful in our country.

At a time with other crises going on around us, I am pleased to ask for our colleagues to support this bill and do something right, or recognize that some wrong was done in America and do something about that.

I support the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 214, which calls on the President to grant a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson for a racially motivated conviction for violating the Mann Act.

Jack Johnson was the first African American boxer to become the heavyweight champion of the world. But the Mann Act conviction diminished Mr. Johnson's athletic, cultural, and historic significance and tarnished his reputation.

Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, TX, in 1878. The son of former slaves, Johnson grew up poor. He attended school only until the fifth grade and began boxing as a young teenager.

By 1902, Johnson had won at least 50 fights against both white and black opponents. However, his efforts to win the heavyweight title were thwarted as world champion Jim Jeffries refused to face him. In 1905, Jeffries retired from the sport rather than give Johnson a title fight.

In 1908, Johnson finally won the heavyweight title when he knocked out Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. However, Johnson was not officially recognized as champion until 1910, when he bested Jim Jeffries who came out of retirement specifically for the fight.

Johnson went on to defend his title a number of times. But in 1913, at the height of his career, the boxer was convicted of violating the Mann Act--a law that outlawed the transportation of women across state lines for ``any immoral purpose.''

After his conviction, Jack Johnson fled the country and spent several years abroad as a fugitive. In 1915, he lost his title to Jess Willard in Cuba.

Five years later, Johnson returned to the United States, surrendered to authorities, and served 1 year and 1 day in prison. He was never given another shot at the heavyweight title, and he never cleared his name. He died in a traffic accident in 1946 at age 68. He was furiously speeding away from a restaurant that refused to serve him.

In 2004, filmmaker Ken Burns initiated the movement for a pardon after producing a documentary about Jack Johnson's life. That year, the Senate approved Senate Resolution 447, an earlier version of today's resolution, by unanimous consent.

In 2005, a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Senator McCain, wrote a letter to the President to request a pardon. The letter stated that a pardon ``would be a strong and necessary symbol to the world of America's continuing resolve to live up to the noble ideals of freedom, opportunity and equal justice for all.''

Although it has been over 90 years since Jack Johnson's conviction and over 50 years since his death, a Presidential pardon would be untimely but still just.

I join my colleagues in supporting this resolution and ask that the President grant a long-awaited pardon to Jack Johnson.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 214) expressing the sense of Congress that the President should grant a posthumous pardon to John Arthur ``Jack'' Johnson for the 1913 racially motivated conviction of Johnson, which diminished his athletic, cultural, and historic significance, and tarnished his reputation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of this resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the President should grant a posthumous pardon to John Arthur ``Jack'' Johnson for the 1913 racially motivated conviction of Mr. Johnson, which diminished his athletic, cultural and historic significance and tarnished his reputation.

More importantly, Mr. Speaker, adoption of this resolution and granting of this posthumous pardon by the President would remove a nearly century-old stain from the reputation of this Nation. Although the harm inflicted on Mr. Johnson can never be undone, it is nevertheless important that we set the record straight and acknowledge that he was wrongfully convicted in a disgraceful climate of racial hatred.

John Arthur ``Jack'' Johnson was a flamboyant, defiant and controversial figure in American history who challenged racial biases. The son of former slaves, Jack Johnson was a professional boxer who traveled throughout the United States and the world, fighting both black and white heavyweight boxers. He was without question one of the greatest boxers this Nation has ever produced.

The resentment felt towards Mr. Johnson by many whites was not limited to his successes in the ring. It was compounded by his relationship with white women, an issue which aroused not just anger, but brutal violence. Between 1901 and 1910, 754 African Americans were lynched, some simply for being perceived as ``too familiar'' with white women.

In 1912, Jack Johnson was arrested by United States marshals and charged with transporting his future wife, Lucille Cameron, across State lines for an ``immoral purpose'' in violation of the Mann Act. Ms. Cameron refused to cooperate with the authorities, the charges were dropped, and she later married the champion.

Federal authorities continued to pursue Jack Johnson and subsequently sought to prosecute him based on charges of ``prostitution and debauchery.'' This time they were able to obtain a conviction, and Mr. Johnson was forced to flee the country.

He returned to the United States in July 1920, surrendered to the authorities, and served nearly 1 year in the

United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. Jack Johnson fought boxing matches after his release from prison, but never regained the heavyweight championship title.

Although this Nation failed him, Jack Johnson remained a patriotic American. He supported this Nation during World War II by encouraging citizens to buy war bonds and by participating in exhibition boxing matches to promote the sale of war bonds. He died in 1946. In 1954, Jack Johnson was finally inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, a fitting recognition of the outstanding accomplishments of this great sportsman.

It is time that we also recognize the wrong that was done and do what is in our power to make amends for this wrongful conviction, which destroyed a great boxing career, but not a courageous and indomitable sportsman.

I urge my colleagues to support the measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure. I appreciate Mr. Cannon's comments, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 214, a resolution granting a posthumous pardon to John Arthur ``Jack'' Johnson for his 1913 racially motivated conviction. On September 17, 2007, I introduced this resolution with Congressman Jesse Jackson, and I join today with 40 of my cosponsoring colleagues in urging the House to pass this resolution today.

Jack Johnson became the first black World Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1908 after defeating Tommy Burns in Australia and kept the title until 1915. He was a flamboyant and controversial figure in American history who paved the way for African-American athletes to participate and succeed in racially integrated professional sports in the United States.

Prompted by his success in the boxing ring and his relationship with a white woman, Jack Johnson was wronged by a racially motivated conviction under the Mann Act. He was convicted in 1913 after fleeing to Canada, Europe and South America and served one year in prison. Being convicted ruined his career and wrongly destroyed his reputation.

Because of this, we believe the President should grant a posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson to clear his name and recognize his athletic and cultural contributions to society. I am proud to have sponsored this resolution on his behalf

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.