Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

John “Jack” Johnson

1878-1946

— Bronzeville Walk of Fame —

John “Jack” Johnson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

1. John “Jack” Johnson Marker

Inscription. World Heavyweight Boxing Champ, 1908-1915
Owner, Café du Champion.

Erected 1996.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Bronzeville Walk of Fame series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.

Location. 41° 50.3′ N, 87° 37.056′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is at the intersection of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and East 31st Street, on the right when traveling south on South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking

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distance of this marker: Dr. Mae Jemison (a few steps from this marker); Margaret Goss Burroughs (within shouting distance of this marker); Corneal Davis (within shouting distance of this marker); Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (within shouting distance of this marker); Theresa Needham (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ferdinand Lee Barnett (about 600 feet away); Dr. J.B. Martin (about 600 feet away); John Lee Williamson (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. The marker is part of the Bronzeville Walk of Fame, a 1996 program in which more than 100 markers were embedded into the sidewalk on MLK Drive between 25th and 35th streets in honor of famous residents of this historically Black neighborhood on Chicago’s south side.

Regarding John “Jack” Johnson. Jack Johnson, the "Galveston Giant," was the greatest boxer of his time, a Black man who became the world's heavyweight champion at the height of the Jim Crow era.

Johnson's Café de Champion was located about 41 W. 31st Street in Chicago, about a half-mile west of this Bronzeville Walk of Fame marker.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

2. John “Jack” Johnson Marker

The marker is at the bottom of this photo, taken at the intersection of MLK Drive and 31st Street.

(The site today is part of the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology.) The short-lived hot spot opened to much fanfare in July 1912, but closed that fall just weeks after Johnson's wife Etta, who was white and who helped him run the restaurant and nightclub, committed suicide in the couple's apartment above the restaurant. Johnson was accused of physically abusing his wife, and he was later convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state line for "immoral purpose"; the law was targeted at a conspiracy theory about "white slavery," namely that black men were seducing innocent white women into prostitution. Johnson fled to Canada and spent the next seven years in exile, before returning to the United States and serving out his prison sentence. He died in 1946 in a car accident. In 2018, President Trump issued a full posthumous pardon for Johnson's conviction.

Also see . . .
1. The short, sad story of Cafe de Champion, Jack Johnson’s nightclub on Chicago’s South Side.

Excerpt: "Federal authorities hauled the daughter, Lucille Cameron, off to Rockford to hold her as a 'material
Chicago Daily News Collection, Chicago History Museum (SDN-051580), circa 1910

3. Jack Johnson
Johnson, cigar in mouth, drives a car through Chicago in 1910.
witness,' but couldn’t come up with enough to indict Johnson until another woman came forward and said Johnson had previously taken her across state lines. That enabled the Justice Department to indict Johnson under the Mann Act, named for Illinois Rep. James Mann, also known as the 'white slave traffic' act. The law made it a crime to transport women for an 'immoral purpose' and was driven by a racially motivated conspiracy theory that naive, innocent young women were being seduced or trapped into lives of prostitution and debauchery in America’s growing cities."

(Submitted on May 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Jack Johnson: A Heavyweight Boxer That Defied America. From the National Museum of African American History & Culture

Excerpt: "At age 49, retired African American prizefighter Jack Johnson reflected on his tremendous career. 'My life, almost from its very start, has been filled with tragedy and romance, failures and success, poverty and wealth, misery and happiness,' he recalled. Indeed, Johnson not only challenged racial segregation within the United States, but he also lived a lifestyle
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that Whites deemed unsuitable for many African Americans, which included displaying his wealth and relationships with White women."

(Submitted on May 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 15, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.