Extra

Cassius Clay, alias Muhammad Ali, the grandson of a slave provided a much needed voice for black people crushed by the scourge of racism. Blessed with good looks, fearsome boxing skills coupled with a swagger and a fast moving tongue he quickly became an icon in and out of the ring. Winning the gold medal in the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 clinched his reputation as the greatest boxer in the world. 

Returning home to the deep south wearing his cherished gold, he was refused a meal at a local diner. Sting by such blatant racism he changed his ‘slave name’, Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and embraced Islam. He soon became a vocal critic of U.S. actions at home and abroad. The FBI and National Security Agency soon began monitoring his communications. He refused to be drafted in the army and voiced his strong opposition to the war in Vietnam stating “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong.” An enormous backlash followed and he was denounced as a traitor. He was stripped of his boxing title and sentenced to five years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000. In a gesture of extreme pettiness, the State Department confiscated his passport so he couldn’t fight abroad. But he never wavered and always stood his ground. May his soul “float like a butterfly” to his cherished Creator.