In LOVE with Humanity

Hero #092: Muhammad Ali
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in January of 1942, Ali is an American former
professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's
history. A controversial and polarizing figure during his early career, Ali is today widely
regarded as much for the values he exemplified outside the boxing ring as he is revered for
the immense skills he displayed inside it …
At a time when most fighters let their managers do the talking, Ali thrived in the
spotlight, where he was sometimes provocative, frequently outlandish, and always
entertaining. He controlled most press conferences and interviews, and spoke freely about
issues unrelated to boxing. Ali was an outspoken opponent of both racial inequality and the
Vietnam War, and though he was drafted to fight in the latter, he refused to enter the armed
forces. His status as a conscientious objector was at first denied, and he was stripped of his
heavyweight title, lost his passport, and was denied the right to box in every state of the
union. This unjust suspension lasted for four years -- the prime years of his athletic career --
as his case slowly worked its way through the appeals process of the farce that was (and still
remains) the American ―justice system‖ … And yet this period of his life was anything but
wasted, as Ali used the hiatus to speak out at colleges and universities across the country,
openly criticizing the administration's war on Vietnam and advocating for racial justice.
During this time, Ali's courage and unwavering principle inspired Martin Luther King, Jr.
(who had previously been reluctant to address the Vietnam War for fear of alienating the Johnson
Administration's support of the civil rights agenda) to voice his own opposition to the war as
well … In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali's conviction in a unanimous 8-0
ruling, and his boxing career recommenced. After later retiring from boxing in 1981, Ali
was diagnosed with Parkinson's syndrome in 1984, a disease common to those suffering
head trauma from activities such as boxing. Despite the progressively degenerative nature
of his condition, Ali continued to be a public representative for peace and justice; traveling
to Iraq in 1991 in an attempt to negotiate the release of American hostages, and to
Afghanistan in 2002 as an official ―U.N. Messenger of Peace.‖
―Ali‘s actions changed my standard of what constituted an athlete‘s greatness.
Possessing a killer jump shot or the ability to stop on a dime was no longer enough.
What were you doing for the liberation of your people? What were you doing to help
your country live up to the covenant of its founding principles?‖
~ new York Times columnist William Rhodes
―There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people ... To be able to give
away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will
be truly rich ... Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are
fought to map change … Rivers,
ponds, lakes and streams – they all
have different names, but they all
contain water. Just as religions do –
they all contain truths … Friendship
is not something you learn in school.
But if you haven‘t learned the
meaning of friendship, you really
haven‘t learned anything ... I wish
people would love everybody else the
way they love me. It would be a
better world.‖ ~ Muhammad Ali
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