Muhammad Ali 1942-2016 MUHAMMED ALI: FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE ---- RUMBLE YOUNG MAN RUMBLE
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he epic and transformative life of Muhammad Ali enable him, more than any other athlete in history, has come to an end leaving a Legacy that befits a to transcend his sport, and conquer persecution to man whose many iconic mantras included “Float become a role model and hero to people around the Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee…Rumble Young world. “Cassius Clay is a name that white people Man…Rumble”. gave to my slave master. Now that I am free, that I While that slogan clearly describes Ali’s unique don’t belong anymore to anyone, that I’m not a slave boxing skills and willingness to anymore, I gave back their white name, and I chose a engage his opponent in the ring, beautiful African one”. it also applies to how he injected He was a free “New Black Man” getting set for the himself into the cultural, social, “Rumble Young Man Rumble” phase of his life featuring economic and political arenas a knock down drag out brawl against racism in the that evolved in the revolutionary United States of America. Over the next four years Ali decade known as the 60’s. solidified his claim as “The Greatest” by defending his At a time when the struggle title nine times. Then came Viet Nam and the draft. for human and civil rights was “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go taking on the shape of what 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on would prove to be a historic Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people international movement, in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple Cassius Clay, a young, human rights? - I have nothing to lose by standing up brash, charismatic 18-year- for my beliefs. So I’ll go to jail, so what? We’ve been in Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer old Olympic Champion, out jail for 400 years.” of Louisville, Kentucky appeared on a stage occupied As the world watched the challenge unfold, they by the larger than life sized understood its significance arbiters of Black “Change” in the escalating push for Leadership – Malcom X civil rights and began to Reverend Martin Luther rally around the still young King, Jr. – Nelson Mandela. - in his prime – undefeated/ He would begin his assent undisputed heavy weight to join them when, at the champion of the world age of 22 the “Louisville Lip” engaged in the greatest won the world heavyweight “rumble” of his life. Ali was championship in 1964 from sentenced to five years in Sonny Liston in a stunning prison and a $10,000 fine. He upset as he “floated like was stripped of his passport a butterfly and stung like and his heavyweight title and a bee” to take down his banned from fighting in the universally feared opponent. US. He was also crowned an Shortly after that bout, icon in the struggle for Black Cassius Clay continued Liberation and Human rights to “shock the world”. He around the world. He was joined the Nation of Islam, the “People’s Champion.” became Muhammed Ali and embarked on a decadeslong odyssey that would http://muhammadali.com Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali
Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
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Black Business News
Muhammad Ali Commemorative Edition • June 2016
Contents 2 The Publisher’s Commentary... 4 Ali Had a Job to Do 1942~2016 10 President Bill Clinton’s Eulogy for Muhammad Ali 14 Bryant Gumbel’s Eulogy for Muhammad Ali 18 Saying Goodbye 20 Commentaries 23 Ali Offered Possible Pardon - Though Not Needed 24 Reactions to the Death of Muhammad Ali 28 Books to Consider...
Muhammad Ali and Will Smith
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Muhammad Ali Knew he had a Job to do on this Planet – Inspire People 1942~2016 Ali came to symbolise unapologetic resistance and provided a radical template for what constitutes black achievement “In life, there’s the beginning and the end,” John Carlos, the black American Olympic medalist who raised his fist in a black power salute from the podium
Cassius Clay was just 18 when he won Olympic gold in 1960. Photograph: Central Press/Getty Images
of the 1968 Olympic games, told me. “The beginning don’t matter. The end don’t matter. All that matters is what you do in between – whether you’re prepared to do what it takes to make change. There has to be physical and material sacrifice. When all the dust settles and we’re getting ready to play down for the ninth inning, the greatest reward is to know that you did your job when you were here on the planet.” As tributes have poured in this weekend from world
leaders and sporting figures, boxing fans and political activists following Muhammad Ali’s death, it’s clear that, from beginning to end, he understood he had a job to do while he was on the planet – inspire people. And he did it brilliantly. Barack Obama says he kept a pair of Ali’s gloves on display in his study under picture of Ali towering over Sonny Liston after he knocked him out in the first round of the world heavyweight title fight in 1965. “Muhammad Ali shook up the world,” said
Photograph: Neil Leifer/ Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
Obama. “And the world is better for it. We are all better for it.” With former president Bill Clinton scheduled to deliver a eulogy, Ali’s funeral on Friday will in effect become an affair of state. Everyone, from the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, to the “democratic socialist” hopeful, Bernie Sanders, continues on page 6
Remembering Ali
from page 5
has lauded him. “When champions win, people carry them off the field on their shoulders,” said the Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and a long-time friend. “When heroes win, people ride on their shoulders. We rode on Muhammad Ali’s shoulders.” As such, in a moment when America both enjoys a black president and is enveloped by a heightened black consciousness through #BlackLivesMatter, it will bid farewell not just to a man but a symbol of unapologetic resistance and a radical template for what constitutes black achievement. At a time when black youth are being told that their bad behaviour, not racism, explains their disproportionate criminalisation, here was a black man who never knew his place. He is universally celebrated in death in no small part because he was always larger than life. Ali’s prowess as a boxer was never in doubt. The way he moved around the ring was a thing of beauty – as though he turned up for an audition of the Soul Train line in boots and gloves. “If karate kicks had been introduced to boxing,” wrote Norman Mailer in The Fight, “Ali would also have been first at that. His credo had to be that nothing in boxing was foreign to him.” But the widespread adulation that greets his passing stands in stark contrast with his treatment as a pariah both within his sport and by the entire political class after he joined the black separatist Muslim organisation the Nation of Islam and then came out against the Vietnam war. When he announced his membership of the Nation of Islam and that he was changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, he told the press: “I’m no troublemaker. I have never been
to jail. I have never been to court. I don’t join any integration marches. I don’t pay attention to all those white women who wink at me. I don’t carry signs. A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he’ll never crow. I have seen the light and I’m crowing.” The World Boxing Association suspended him for “conduct detrimental to the best interests of boxing” and unsuccessfully moved to strip him of his title. Promoters
Photograph: Photoshot/ Getty Images
recoiled; endorsement offers dried up. But Ali continued to crow, both playfully, setting his braggadocio to rhyme and his opponents to ridicule, and politically. When it came to Vietnam, he didn’t dodge the draft, he defied it – openly, brazenly – not out of fear of dying for an immoral war but as an affirmation of his life principles at a time when such opposition was not yet widespread, making the link
between racial injustice in America and the imperalist injustice in Vietnam a year before even Martin Luther King would voice his fullthroated opposition to the war. Herein stood the sheer audacity of Ali’s stand at the prime of his career and why his memory – even for those who were not alive when he competed – resonates so widely and so deeply. His stand carried not risk but the certainty of exile from the one way he knew how to make
Photograph: Walter Iooss Jr./SPORTS ILLUSTRA/ Sports Illustrated
a living – boxing. He could have had anything that America offered a black man by way of riches and fame at the time, and he turned his back on all of it to make a connection between his own freedom and that of the oppressed globally. He was stripped of his title the same day and his licence was suspended. Standing his ground elevated his image internationally. “We knew Muhammad Ali as a boxer but more importantly for his political stance,”
says the artist Malick Bowens in the film When We Were Kings. “When we saw that America was at war with a third world country in Vietnam and one of the children of the US said, ‘Me? You want me to fight against Vietcong?’ It was extraordinary that in America someone could have taken such a position at that time. He may have lost his title. He may have lost millions of dollars. But that’s where continues on page 8
he gained the esteem of millions of Africans.” But there was nothing inevitable about Ali emerging triumphant, still crowing, laden with awards and ceremonial pride of place, with a funeral fit for the king that he was. Esteem does not pay the bills. Nor does it offer any guarantee of readmission to national mythology – particularly for a black sportsman. After his celebrated Olympic victory before Hitler in Berlin, the sprinter Jesse Owens ran a dry-cleaning business, was a gas pump attendant and even raced horses for money and eventually went bankrupt. “People say it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse,” he said. “But what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can’t eat four gold
medals.” And Owens definition – a freedom never tried to upset beyond the legal rights the apple cart. and formal equality that Ali’s return in the had been won as he rose 1970s, culminating to prominence. The ability in winning back his to rise above the strictures title and the Rumble of race, nation, class and in the Jungle, was the myriad constraints that like a glorious karmic regulate our behaviour and rebuke to his exile. take the consequences His global appeal for living your life as you was only enhanced see fit. “I am America,” he by the international once said. “I am the part venues that staged you won’t recognise. But his comeback – get used to me. Black, Kinshasha, in what Gary Younge, Author confident, cocky, my name, was then Zaire, not yours; my religion, not for the Rumble in the Jungle, and yours; my goals, my own; get used the “Thrilla in Manila” in the to me.” Philippines. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/ commentisfree/2016/jun/05/muhammadThroughout, the most powerful ali-gary-younge-tribute message Ali sent was one of self-
Muhammad Ali: ‘I am America. I am the part you won’t recognise. But get used to me.’ Photograph: Daily Mail/ REX/Shutterstock
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1) Pele Greets Muhammad Ali 2) Muhammad Ali 3) President Barack Obama with Muhammad Ali 4) Muhammad Ali 5) Muhammad Ali with Malcolm X
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Eulogy by President Clinton at the Memorial Service for Muhammad Ali
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hank you. I can just hear Muhammad say now, “Well, I thought I should be eulogized by at least one president, and by making you last of a long, long, long, long line, I guaranteed you a standing ovation.” I am trying to think of what has been left unsaid. First, Lonnie, I thank you and the members of the family for telling me that he actually, as Brian said, picked us all to speak, and for giving me a chance to come here. I thank you for what you did to make the second half of his life greater than the first. Thank you for the Muhammad Ali Center
and what it has come to represent to so many people. Here is what I would like to say: I have spent a lot of time now, as I get older and older, trying to figure out what makes people tick. How do they turn out the way they are? How do some people refuse to become victims and rise from every defeat? We have all seen the beautiful pictures of the home Muhammad Ali lived in as a boy and people visiting and driving by. I think he decided something then I hope every young person here will decide. I think he decided very young to write his own life story. I think he decided,
before he could possibly have worked it all out, and before fate and time could work their will on him, he decided he would not ever be disempowered. He decided that not his race nor his place, nor the expectations of others, positive, negative or otherwise, would strip from him the power to write his own story. He decided first to use his stunning gifts: his strength and speed in the ring, his wit and way with words in managing the public, and his mind and heart, to figure out at a fairly young age, who he was, what he believed, and how to live with the consequences of acting on
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what he believed. A lot of people make it to steps one and two, and still just can’t quite manage living with the consequences of what they believe. I remember thinking when I was a kid, This guy is so smart. For the longest time, in spite of all the wonderful things that have been said here, he never got credit for being as smart as he was. I don’t think he ever got the credit for being, until later, as wise as he was. In the end, besides being a lot of fun to be around and basically a universal soldier for our common humanity, I will always think of Muhammad as a truly free man of faith. Being a man of faith, he realized he would never be in full control of his life. Something like Parkinson’s could come along. But being free, he realized that
life still was open to choices. It is the choices that Muhammad Ali made that have brought us all here today in honor and love. The only other thing I would like to say that I think we all need to really think about, is that the first part of his life was dominated by the triumphs of his truly unique gifts. We should never forget them— we should never stop looking at the movies, we should thank Will Smith for making his movie, we should all be thrilled: It was a thing of beauty. But the second part of his life was more important, because he refused to be imprisoned by a disease that kept him hamstrung longer than Nelson Mandela was kept in prison in South Africa. That is, in the second half of his life, he perfected gifts that we all have: Every single solitary one of us has gifts of mind and heart. It’s just that
he found a way to release them in ways large and small. I will never forget—I asked Lonnie if she remembered—the time when they were still living in Michigan, and I gave a speech in southwest Michigan at an economic club there. It’s sort of a ritual when a president leaves office to go there. You have to get re-acclimated. Nobody plays a song when you walk in a room anymore; you don’t really know what you’re supposed to do. At this club they’re used to acting like you still deserve to be listened to. So they came to dinner and sat with me, and somehow he knew that I was a little “off my feed” that night. I was still trying to imagine how to make this new life. So he told me a really bad joke. And he told it so well and he laughed so hard that I totally got over it and see Obama Memorial on page 12
Muhammad Ali leaves the Huston armed forces induction centre with his entourage after refusing to be drafted in 1967. Photograph: AP 11 Muhammad Ali Commemorative Edition June 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Eulogy from page 11
had a great time. He had that feel. You know there’s no textbook for that, knowing where somebody else is in their head, picking up the body language. Then, Lonnie and Muhammad got me to come here when we had the dedication of the Muhammad Ali Center, and I was trying to be incredibly old, gray-
comes up behind me and puts his fingers up like this. Finally, after all the years that we have been friends, my enduring image of him is like a little reel in three shots: the boxer I thrilled to as a boy; the man I watched take the last steps to light the Olympic Flame when I was president, and I’ll never forget it, I was sitting there in Atlanta—by then we knew each other, by then I felt that I had some sense of what he was living with—
going to make those last few steps, no matter what it took, the flame would be lit, the fight would be won, the spirit would be affirmed. I knew it would happen. And then this: the children whose lives he touched. The young people he inspired. It’s the most important thing of all. So I ask you to remember that. We all have an Ali story. It’s the gifts we all have that should be most honored today, because he released them to the world, never wasting a day (that
President Barack Obama looks at photos of Muhammad Ali during a taping on reflections of Muhammad Ali for Facebook Live in the Oval Office Private Dining Room, June 9, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
haired, elderly statesman, dignified. I had to elevate this guy, so I’m saying all this stuff in very hightoned language, and Muhammad
and I was still weeping like a baby, seeing his hands shake and his legs shake and knowing by God he was
the rest of us could see anyway) feeling sorry for himself because he had Parkinson’s. Knowing that
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more than three decades of his life would be circumscribed in ways that would be chilling to the naked eye, but, with a free spirit, it made his life bigger, not smaller, because other people, all of us unlettered, unschooled in the unleashing, said, “Well, would you look at that.” May not be able to run across the ring anymore, may not be able to dodge everybody and exhaust everybody anymore, but he’s bigger than ever, because he is a free man of faith sharing the gifts we all have. We should honor him by letting our gifts go among the world as he did. God bless you my friend. Go in peace.
Muhammad Ali signing autographs. Muhammad Ali with his son
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Eulogy by Bryant Gumbel at the Memorial Service for Muhammad Ali
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he great Maya Angelou, who was herself no stranger to fame, wrote that ultimately people will forget what you said and people will forget what you did, but that no one will ever forget how you made them feel. As applied to Muhammad Ali, the march of time may one day diminish his boasts and his poetry, maybe even his butterflies and bees. It may even one day dull the memories of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ and the “Rumble in the Jungle.” But I doubt any of us will ever forget how Muhammad Ali made us feel. And I’m not talking about how proud he made you feel with his exploits, or how special he made you feel when you were privileged enough to be in his company. I’m talking about how he gripped our hearts and our souls
and our conscience, and made our fights his fights for decades. People like me, who were once young, semi-gifted and black will never forget what he freed within us. Some of us, like him, took pride in being black, bold and brash. And because we were so unapologetic, we were in the eyes of many way too uppity, we were way too arrogant. Yet we reveled in being like him. By stretching society’s boundaries as he did, he gave us levels of strength and courage we didn’t even know we had. But Ali’s impact was not limited to those of a certain race or of a certain religion or of a certain mind-set. The greatness of this man for the ages was that he was in fact a man for all ages. Has any man ever scripted a greater arc to his life? What does it say of a man,
any man, that he can go from being viewed as one of his country’s most polarizing figures to arguably its most beloved. And to do so without changing his nature, or for a second compromising his principles. Yeah, you know, there were great causes, there were great national movements, there were huge divisions that afforded Ali unusual opportunities to symbolize our struggles. But Harry Truman had it right when he said, “Men make history and now the other way around.” Or as Lauryn Hill so nicely put it, “Consequence is no coincidence.” Befitting his stature as the GOAT, Muhammad Ali never shied away from a fight. He fought not just the biggest and baddest men of his day inside the ropes, but outside the ring he also went toe to toe with an array of critics, a seemingly e n d l e s s succession of societal norms, the architects of a vile, immoral war, the U.S. government. He even fought, ultimately to his detriment, the limitations of
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Father Time. Strictly speaking, fighting is what he did. But he broadened that definition by sharing his struggles with us and by viewing our struggles as his. And so it was that at various times he accepted and led battles on behalf of his race, in support of his generation, in defense of his religious beliefs and ultimately in
spite of his disease. I happen to have been overseas working in Norway this past week, and my buddy Matt called, told me the champ had been taken to the hospital, and that this time it was really serious. Right away I called Lonnie, who was as always a pillar of strength. And as we discussed the medical details, the doctor’s views and the ugly
realities of mortality, Lonnie said, ‘Bryant, the world still needs him.’ And indeed it does. The world needs a champion who always worked to bridge the economic and social divides that threaten a nation that he dearly loved. The world needs a champion that always symbolized the best of Islam to offset the hatred born of fear. And the world needs a
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champion who believed in fairness and inclusion for all. “Hating people because of their color is wrong,” Ali said. “And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.” Yeah, we do need Muhammad Ali now. We need the strength and the hope, the compassion, the conviction that he always demonstrated. But this time our beloved champion is down. And for once he will not get up. Not this time. Not ever again. Let me close with a quick personal story. Fifty years ago, Muhammad Ali defeated George Chuvalo in Toronto, Canada. The very next day, he showed up in my Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. As Ali got out of a car in the driveway at the home of Elijah Muhammad, I happened to be next door shooting hoops in a friend’s backyard. I of course very quickly ran to the fence, and for the first time in my life, I shook the champ’s hand. I was 17, I was awe-struck and, man, I thought he was the greatest. Now half a century and a lifetime of experiences later, I am still awe-struck. And I’m convinced more than ever that Muhammad Ali is the greatest. To be standing here
by virtue of his and Lonnie’s request, it’s mind-numbing. The honor that Ali has done me today, as he goes to his grave, is one that I will take to mine. God bless you, champ.
http://www.nytimes. com/2016/06/11/sports/lonnie-billycrystal-bill-clinton-eulogies-formuhammad-ali.html?_r=0
https://www.bates.edu/ news/2016/06/17/video-bryantgumbel-71-eulogizes-muhammadali/
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Muhammad Ali with daughter Hana
Saying Goodbye
The hearse passes outside Ali’s childhood home, where mourners wait to pay their respects Photograph: Mark Humphrey/ AP
The hearse passes outside Ali’s childhood home, where mourners wait to pay their respects Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP
Joseph Robinson sweeps the street before the funeral procession begins, Photograph: David Goldman/AP
Akera Price-King, nine, carries a sign saluting Muhammad Ali on the street in front of his boyhood home. Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP
The actor Will Smith greets the crowds while riding in the funeral procession Photograph: John Moore/ Getty Images Ashlee Brown, of Louisville, walks down the street with her kids, all wearing the same Ali T-shirts, after the funeral procession motorcade passes by. Photograph: Ty Wright/Getty Images A well-wisher holding a banner touches the hearse carrying the remains of Muhammad Ali Photograph: Adrees Latif/ Reuters
A pair of boxing gloves hang from the sign in front of Muhammad Ali’s childhood home on Grand Avenue. Photograph: Ty Wright/Getty Images
Commentaries on the Life of Muhammad Ali Carl Dickerson President/CEO
Dickerson Employee Benefits I was asked to write an article by Skip Cooper about Muhammad Ali, and quite frankly, I don’t
Johnson, and I can personally attest for venturing to say he that perhaps he was the greatest of all heavyweight champions. However, that is not why Muhammad Ali in my opinion stands head & shoulders above all athletes of the modern era. Muhammad Ali risked his entire golden years of his career to stand up for a principle, and as black man who soon will be 78 years old, he taught us all the importance of personal integrity and the value of never compromising your integrity as a man for money or fame. I could go on for many, many more paragraphs, but I would like to simply close by saying, “Champ we all will miss you and the sun is a little less bright since your departure.”
Dean L. Jones, C.P.M. Associate Editor Black Business News Group
know where to begin. I have been following Boxing (the sweet science) all of my life. I have been a boxer, I have successfully managed fighters and have been responsible for funding a boxing gym after the Rodney King riots in 1992. Boxing for me, has been a metaphor for life as a black man in America. You prepare as best you can, you get hit, but, you get up and preserve and win. This is why boxing has been the subject of more movies than any other sport. Muhammad Ali is the most exemplary person in the history of professional boxing. Muhammad Ali is unquestionably the greatest heavyweight of the modern era. I have attended or seen on film, all of the heavyweight champions, since the great Jack
I am so thankful to live in Muhammad Ali’s era of prominence. The designated wonders of the world do not list humans; nevertheless the dynamism of Muhammad Ali was every part of an absolute wonderment. Muhammad Ali is an ascended master whose beliefs were immersed as a spiritually enlightened being. He passed through an ordinary humanness into a spiritual transformation toward elevating the masses. Muhammad Ali spoke through Allah when he would say;” I AM the Greatest — I AM King of the World — I AM a Bad Man — I AM the Prettiest.” These diminutive phrases are immeasurable teachings prophesied by Muhammad Ali to be of service toward lifting people from mental bondage. Muhammad Ali had a presence
that resonated in countless hearts thereby motivating a greater number of black professionalselected officials-sports legends-and in general an appreciation among the masses that the black race is notably beautiful. I AM appreciative and in good mental health from the mountain top message delivered by the breathtaking wonder of the world, Muhammad Ali! With praise exalted
Bob Dylan If the measure of greatness is to gladden the heart of every human being on the face of the earth, then he truly was the greatest. In every way he was the bravest, the kindest and the most excellent of men.
Ralph D. Sutton
Contributing Writer Black Business News Group
If I were to fashion a Mount Rushmore dedicated to the most influential leaders emerging from the transformative ‘60s - a decade that reshaped the attitudes of African Americans and forever changed the see Commentaries on page 21
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way in which human and civil rights was applied to people of color in the United States, it would no doubt include Muhammed Ali.”
Duane Lace Filer Attroney My father Maxcy Filer was a civil rights activist/15-year Compton City Council Member beginning in the 1960’s. Maxcy took the bar exam twice a year for 24 years from 1967 to 1991 – finally passing it on his 48th attempt in 1991. He always said one of his biggest inspirations was Muhammad Ali’s life….and his motto became “NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!”.
horizons suddenly made seemingly attainable. Deep, life principles were the fodder of discussions on college campuses and in street corner barbershops. I AM SOMEBODY had not yet found its way into the lexicon of the everyday folk but its embodiment w a s personified by the man known as Muhammad Ali. When I looked up at Muhammad Ali I saw possibilities but I also saw responsibility. I saw with my own eyes how from those achieving greatness much was required. Who better to highlight this life fact than the Greatest himself? He had everything yet was willing to give it all up for what he believed. Ain’t no Viet Cong ever called me nigger
along with the verses from The Last Poets became oft repeated mantras among my friends and compatriots. I learned many life lessons watching and to some degree, trying to emulate Muhammad Ali. While his face was the most widely recognized in the whole world, his struggle and eventual victory was a personal victory shared by myself and countless others. He fought my war for me and taught me so much about what it really meant to be a man; one who would rather die on his feet than live on his knees. The world is a much better place because Muhammad Ali visited and left so much to so many. And I, unashamedly, count myself as one of those blessed recipients.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan-In
President, Republic of Turkey In memory of Ali, Erdoğan said in a tweet: “May Allah have mercy on Muhammad Ali, whose courage, conviction and determination
Dr. Jan Vanderpool Executive Director Bridge over Digital Divide, Inc.
The sixties and seventies were a turbulent, and wonderful and exciting and coming of age, never to be repeated time in my life and I’m certain, that of my contemporaries. We saw and imagined great things, new beginnings, distant
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(L-R) Sidney Poitier, Muhammad Ali, and Bryant Gumbel. www. gettyimages.co.uk (L-R) Muhammad Ali and Bryant Gumbel. www.gettyimages.co.uk (Opposite page) Muhamad Ali Lights the Olympic Tourch
www.nigerianmonitor.com/wp-content/ uploads/2016/06/muhammad-ali.jpg
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Pardon Possible for Muhammad Ali Even Though Boxing Great Doesn’t Need One By David Smith
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onald Trump said on June 9, 2018 that he may grant a posthumous pardon to Muhammad Ali, seemingly unaware that the great boxer’s conviction was overturned by the supreme court 47 years ago. Departing for the G7 summit in Canada, the president told reporters at the White House he was looking at “thousands of names” of people who could be granted clemency. Ali refused to enter the military during the Vietnam war and his local draft board rejected his application for classification as a conscientious objector. He received a draft-evasion conviction in 1967 and was stripped of his world heavyweight title. “He was, look, he was not very popular then, certainly his memory is popular now,” Trump said. “I’m thinking about that very seriously, and some others.” Ali was sentenced to five years in prison but he appealed and in 1971 the supreme court overturned his conviction, finding that the justice department improperly told the draft board Ali’s stance was not motivated by his religious beliefs as a Muslim. Trump’s gesture is therefore meaningless. Ali’s lawyer, Ron Tweel, said: “We appreciate President Trump’s sentiment, but a pardon is unnecessary. The US Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Muhammad Ali in a unanimous decision in 1971. There is no conviction from which a pardon is needed.”
Trump recently granted a posthumous pardon to the first African American heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 of violating a law that made it illegal to transport women across state lines for “immoral” purposes.
“The power to pardon is a beautiful thing,” Trump told reporters. Ali died two years ago in Scottsdale, Arizona, aged 74. www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ jun/08/trump-muhammad-ali-pardonsupreme-court-overturn nydailynews.com
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Athletes, World Leaders React to Death of Muhammad Ali “He thrilled. He rumbled. He fought fearlessly, and stood firm in his beliefs. He was, no doubt, the Greatest. RIP Champ.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter. “He was a natural force. His radiance came from inside. You got the feeling of inner excellence, he felt from himself. It came from him. As he developed as a great champion it was apparent that this was a God given quality I never doubted.” -Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s longtime doctor and corner man. “The true GOAT (Greatest of All Time). What a sad day for everyone to (lose) someone so great and kind and someone who really stood up for what they believed in. He Shown here Mayor Carl Stokes (standing left), Bill Russell, Muhammad was my hero. He always will be. Ali, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul Jabar .muhammadali .cassiusclay” -- tennis great Serena Williams on Instagram. “I gave Ali the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and wondered aloud how he stayed so pretty throughout so many fights. It probably had to do with his beautiful soul. He was a fierce fighter and he’s a man of peace, just like Odesa and Cassius Clay, Sr., believed their son could be.” -- former President George W. Bush.
Muhammad Ali was bigger than sports and larger than life. He said he was ‘The Greatest’ and he was right. He was the greatest of his era in the ring and a global icon in sports. I was a kid during his prime, but I remember some of his epic fights and his incredible style. My sincerest condolences go out to his wife, Lonnie, his kids and family.” -- Basketball great Michael Jordan.
“Mr. Ali was far more than a legendary boxer; he was a world champion for equality and peace. With an incomparable combination of principle, charm, wit and grace, he fought for a better world and used his platform to help lift up humanity.” -- spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“The sporting universe has just suffered a big loss. Muhammad Ali was my friend, my idol, my hero. We spent many moments together and always kept a good connection throughout the years. The sadness is overwhelming. I wish him peace with God. And I send love and strength to his family.” -- Soccer great Pele on Twitter and Instagram.
“The world has lost a great Champion. Muhammad Ali, lover of human beings, a warrior for the fight against discrimination ... a great friend.” -- tweet by football great Jim Brown. “Ali, the G-O-A-T. A giant, an inspiration, a man of peace, a warrior for the cure. Thank you.” -- tweet by actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease.
“Today we bow our heads at the loss of a man who did so much for America. Tomorrow, we will raise our heads again remembering that his bravery, his outspokenness, and his sacrifice for the sake of his community and country lives on in the best part of each of us.” -- Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“This is a sad day for me -- and for the world.
“The best of all time has left. I remember the emotion
24 Muhammad Ali Commemorative Edition June 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
of my dad when he saw him face to face in Las Vegas, in the fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Herns in 1981. So how can I not feel this loss, if he was what he most admired my father? In the ring he was a dancer. Surely he left because he could no longer give us more happiness. My condolences to his family.” -Soccer great Diego Maradona on Facebook. “He fought hard, not only in the ring, but in life for his fellow citizens and civil rights. The world has lost today a great unifying champion whose punches transcended borders and nations.” -- King Abdullah II of Jordan. “He sacrificed the heart of his career and money and glory for his religious beliefs about a war he thought unnecessary and unjust. His memory and legacy lingers on until eternity. He scarified, the nation benefited. He was a champion in the ring, but, more than that, a hero beyond the ring. When champions win, people carry them off the field on their shoulders. When heroes win, people ride on their shoulders. We rode on Muhammad Ali’s shoulders.” -- the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and longtime friend of Ali. “Rip the greatest of all times in many different ways” -- tweet by world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
(L-R) Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Don King, Promoter, Muhammad Ali “Muhammad Ali was not just a champion in the ring - he was a champion of civil rights, and a role model for
so many people.” -- tweet by British Prime Minister David Cameron. “He was an athlete who touched the hearts of people across the globe, an athlete who was engaged beyond sport, an athlete who had the courage to give hope to so many suffering illness by lighting the Olympic cauldron and not hiding his own affliction. He was an athlete who fought for peace and tolerance he was a true Olympian. Meeting him in person was an inspiration. He was a man who at the same time was so proud and yet so humble.” -- IOC President Thomas Bach. “He’s the most transforming figure of my time, certainly. He did more to change race relations and the views of people than even Martin Luther King. It was a privilege and an honour for me to know him and associate with him.” -- Bob Arum, who promoted 26 of Ali’s fights. “Ali, Frazier & Foreman we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away, “The greatest piece” -- tweet by George Foreman, Ali’s opponent in the “Rumble in the Jungle” “Muhammad Ali is a legend and one of the world’s most celebrated athletes, the fighter who ushered in the golden era of boxing and put the sport on the map. He paved the way for professional fighters, including myself, elevating boxing to become a sport watched in millions of households around the world” -- boxer Oscar De La Hoya, who won titles at six different weight classes. “We lost a giant today. Boxing benefited from Muhammad Ali’s talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ali family. May God bless them.” -- boxer Manny Pacquiao, a champion in eight weight classes. “Passing the Olympic torch to Muhammad to light see Commentaries on page 26
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the cauldron at the Atlanta Games in 1996 was the defining moment of my career, and a memory I will treasure forever, as much as any of the medals I won. As Olympians, our role is to inspire others to achieve their dreams, and no person has ever lived that role more than Muhammad Ali.” -- swimmer Janet Evans. “Without question his legacy is one that he defied the odds because he stood up for what he believed in and when he was put to the test he took personal harm rather than go against his beliefs and what he stood for.” -- Don King, promoter of “Rumble in the Jungle” and “Thrilla in Manilla.” “He might be one of the most impactful athletes
certainly allowed him to have the impact that he’s had on sports, not just boxing.” -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. “Muhammad Ali, a man who stood by his principles despite criticism and hardship, exemplified a true patriot and a true Muslim. His strength, courage and love of humanity has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to people of all faiths and backgrounds in America and worldwide.” -- Roula Allouch, Chairwoman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ national board. “Muhammad Ali, who passed away yesterday, was an extraordinary athlete and a remarkable man of good
In this March 29, 1967, file photo, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, center left, and Dr. Martin Luther King speak to reporters. Ali, the magnificent heavyweight champion whose fast fists and irrepressible personality transcended sports and captivated the world, has died according to a statement released by his family Friday, June 3, 2016. He was 74. (AP Photo/File) in this past century. He’s obviously a charismatic guy, did a lot for the sport of boxing. I think he’ll be, at least from my experience, known not just for how great of an athlete he was, but for the impact that he had in a social aspect as well. ... Just I think his personality, in combination with how great of an athlete he was,
deeds who conquered the hearts of millions. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s life-long struggle against racism and discrimination will never be forgotten. May Allah have mercy on Muhammad Ali, whose courage, conviction and determination inspired all of humanity. -tweet from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
26 Muhammad Ali Commemorative Edition June 2016 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
“His life story is an American story, and it’s a story that began in Louisville, Kentucky.” -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “Ali was not afraid of anything. He made up his own rules inside the ring and out, and he told the world that is how he acted even (if) they didn’t like it. ... He was suspended for political reasons, he was arrested, he lost, he once boxed 12 rounds with a broken jaw, but he always came back. We learned from him that victory is the ability to stay on your feet after everyone else has raised their hands and given up.” -- Yair Lapid, head of Israel’s centrist Yesh Atid party and a former amateur boxer. “Muhammad Ali has not only been a sports legend but also an outstanding man, whose values transcend his fantastic boxing career. We will always remember him also for his full commitment for the values of equity and brotherhood. We’re proud he started his unique sports career winning the Olympic gold medal in Rome 1960, a story that still emotions me very much. He’ll be forever ‘The Greatest’ to all of us.” -- Rome 2024 bid President Luca di Montezemolo.
“Muhammad Ali transcended sports with his outsized personality and dedication to civil rights and social justice. He was an inspirational presence at several major NBA events and was deeply admired by so many throughout the league. While we are deeply saddened by his loss, Muhammad Ali’s legacy lives on in every athlete who takes a stand for what he or she believes.” -- NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “HBO is honoured to have known Muhammad Ali as a fighter of beauty and a man of principle. We experienced the joy of working with him in support of initiatives he passionately cared about including, most importantly, his never-ending desire to teach tolerance and understanding of others to all people.” -- HBO Sports. “We are proud to call Ali not only a member of Team USA, but an Olympic champion. With unparalleled grit and determination, he left a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of Americans for years to come.” -- Scott Blackmun, CEO, U.S. Olympic Committee. www.cp24.com/world/athletes-world-leaders-react-to-deathof-muhammad-ali-1.2931332
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Books to Consider... I The Soul of a Butterfly
by Muhammad Ali with Richard Durham
n his own words, the heavyweight champion of the world pulls no punches as he chronicles the battles he faced in and out of the ring in this fascinating memoir edited by Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Toni Morrison.
by Muhammad Ali with daughter Hana
T
he Soul of a Butterfly is the autobiography of Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., a former heavyweight boxer who was three times World Heavyweight Champion and has been called the greatest heavyweight from all eras. Wikipedia www.amazon.com/Soul-Butterfly-Reflections-LifesJourney/dp/1476747377
The Greatest: My Own Story
Growing up in the South, surrounded by racial bigotry and discrimination, Ali fought not just for a living, but also for respect and rewards far more precious than money or glory. He was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the BBC. Ali redefined what it meant to be an athlete by giving hope to millions around the world and inspiring us all to fight for what is important to us. This is a multifaceted portrait of Muhammad Ali only he could render: sports legend; unapologetic anti-war advocate; outrageous showman and gracious goodwill ambassador; fighter, lover, poet, and provocateur; an irresistible force to be reckoned with. Who better to tell the tale than the man who went the distance living it? www.amazon.com/Greatest-My-Own-Story/dp/1631680498
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Black Business News Group Muhammad Ali Commemorative Edition • June 2016 About the Black Business News Group… The mission of The Black Business News Group is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity news, the publications of the Black Business News Group impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news affecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include: •
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A portrait of Muhammad Ali by Floyd Strickland. http://floydstrickland.com/artwork/2015/09/25/muhammad-ali