How Mohammad Ali Inspired World Change in 2021
Although Ali passed away in 2016 his belief and humility inspired another generation of people to change the world forever
Mohammad Ali was the most humble of sports stars.
You may disagree with that statement and that is understandable especially considering all that was written of the great man. Because we were led to believe he was brass and arrogant by many in the media. But there was something deeper about him too.
You may change your opinion of him when you consider that Ali once said the following:
“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America”
In the mid-1960s he uttered these words when he was asked about the possibility of fighting in a war for the United States. At that time it made headlines to say such a thing but when the Vietnam war got more serious in 1967 Ali was put under pressure to enlist in the army and fight for his country.
But by April of that year when he pressed to give his reason why he didn’t want to shoot others in a war he declared:
“And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger, they never lynched me, they didn’t put any dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. … Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them, poor people? Just take me to jail.”
And as a result, Ali was stripped of his boxing license.
He was a young man in his mid-twenties. These should have been his best years for boxing yet instead, he was wrapped up in a political debate about a war that he did not create.
For the next four years his team fought the legal system against his ban from the ring.
Although he was fined $10,000 and given a five-year prison sentence Ali used that time to speak in universities as an antiwar protestor.
And although his actions were condoned by many he earned the respect of Martin Luther King Junior.
King said of Ali at that time that:
“I’ve talked with him about it…I think he is absolutely sincere… It is legally justified to be a conscientious objector … I would strongly endorse his actions on the basis of conscience … I would not dare stand in the way of one who has taken a position because of moral conscience.”
Yet both great men were in the minority as the war went on and on.
North Vietnam and the Viet Cong continued to fight against South Vietnam and the United States until 1973 when U.S. forces eventually withdrew and Vietnam unified under Communist control in 1975.
So you may think that Ali’s actions were in vain. After all, what did he gain from it as he lost his ability to fight professionally, had a big fine to pay, and the war continued on no matter what he said or did?
Yet his humility inspired others.
Because Ali’s words acknowledged that there was racism occurring against people of color. And many of the people who were small children at the time of Ali’s stance against the Vietnam war continued to receive racial abuse throughout their lives. And much of this abuse occurred on American soil as well.
And by the time of Mohammad Ali’s death in 2016 another battle was simmering.
Because when Trayvon Martin was murdered an organization was formed in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman. This group was entitled, Black Lives Matter (BLM). Their aim was to eradicate white supremacy inflicted on the black communities by the state and vigilantes in the US, Canada, and the UK.
For the next 7 years the BLM continued to defend the good name of black people who were unfairly treated and died at the hands of the US state and others until they made international headlines in 2020.
And that was the year when the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world.
Because in 2020 the world watched on as George Floyd was murdered on a street by white US police office Derek Chauvin. The following year Chauvin denied all wrongdoing and protested his innocence but he was adjudged to have committed second-degree murder.
He received decades in prison.
Yet before Chauvin reached the court anarchy on the streets of the US and across the western world ensued as protestors sought to educate the world on the white supremacy that still existed in the United States.
Such was the popularity of the movement that professional sports stars took a stand and supported them. Athletes who were of color were also supported as white coaches and managers came out to condemn the murder.
The consistent efforts of the Black Lives Movement took years to be noticed but when they eventually were many white people in the western world acknowledged the disrespect that they had been shown over the years.
Being brave enough to fight against something that is fundamentally inhumane comes from a place of strength and humility.
And those that organized the movement didn’t do it without having believed they could one day change the international landscaper for all people of color. Because they took the inspiration of those that had spoken out before their time. They continued with the work that was required for all good people in the world.
And that’s why Mohammad Ali’s humble words will forever ring true even long after he is gone.
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