Ali a Boxer but Mostly a Fighter for the Cause of Liberty


The Greatest of All Time has Passed but Ali’s Legacy of Resisting Evil Shall Live On 

On June 3, 2016, the earth lost a spiritual giant in the cause of non-violence, anti-war, and liberty and justice for all people. A retired Muslim boxer named Muhammed Ali, a man who delivered and received punishing violence in the boxing ring in which he owed his fame, confronted his nation’s record of injustice and did so in a manner that lifted the entire world.

Not that Ali’s work is finished. It’s really just beginning to take hold and 2016 represents a time in America’s history where his ideals should be elevated in the civil discourse of our political culture and society. Like all imperfect human beings, he had his challenges in life both physical, familial, and professionally. He lost and he won. He won and he lost. Then he won again. He would not quit fighting.

When I was a kid, many of his fights were on national television. I recall the hatred around me aimed at Muhammed Ali for several reasons. First, he was cocky and some people didn’t like that. Second, the fact that he was a black man didn’t help him in the eyes of “white America,” which he routinely agitated against because of the nature of white privilege in society that would not even serve him a dinner in a restaurant in his home town after he won a gold medal at the Olympics. Third, he was a Muslim who chastised “Christians” who failed to live up to the principles of Christ. Fourth, he refused to allow himself to be conscripted into the military.

Ali recognized that people who hated him would pay millions to see him defeated and beat upon by other boxers. So he leveraged their hatred into major paydays that helped his bank account, his causes and his legacy.

When I lived and worked in Houston, I was walking into my office one morning when I noticed a limousine at the door. When I walked into the door way, there was Muhammed Ali being greeted by the mostly African American cleaning crew. Suddenly he bowed up his fists at one of the cleaning crew and said, “I thought you was Joe Frasier!” He was there to promote his new men’s fragrance line called “Muhammed Ali” of course. His name sold many things.

Last month I posted a popular quote from Ali about his fight for peace and justice against the US government and the privilege of “white America.” He said, “I ain't draft dodging. I ain't burning no flag. I ain't running to Canada. I'm staying right here. You want to send me to jail? Fine, you go right ahead. I've been in jail for 400 years. I could be there for 4 or 5 more, but I ain't going no 10,000 miles to help murder and kill other poor people. If I want to die, I'll die right here, right now, fightin' you, if I want to die. You my enemy, not no Chinese, no Vietcong, no Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. Want me to go somewhere and fight for you? You won't even stand up for me right here in America, for my rights and my religious beliefs. You won't even stand up for my right here at home.”

His words are, unfortunately, too often still true today. We have much more to do in cause of liberty and we should never forget the legacy of those who came before us in helping to pave the way. Journey well Muhammed Ali. Journey well.

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