Ali had a profound impact on how blacks were viewed in society in the late 20th century. Ali practiced Islam despite coming from a Christian background and believed that black was truly beautiful. Ali fought against Frazier in 1971 at Madison Square Garden during their heavyweight title fight. Ultimately, Frazier ended up winning the fight, but Ali gained a newfound respect among the public which was critical in shaping the racial relations between whites and blacks. Farhood demonstrated to the audience his overwhelming knowledge and passion for boxing through his in-depth presentation and analysis of the material.
Muhammad Ali was an athlete formally known as a Cassius Clay before he changed his name to Cassius X and later to Ali after joining the Nation of Islam. He is well known due to his mark on the world as an athlete in boxing. Besides him being an iconic boxer he also remembered as a person who fought for social and political change through his outspoken political positions and this the point where his greatness excelled . Ali had a great political influence on many individuals in the United States. Different occasions portray Ali’s stand on political and social change.
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” (xiii), Muhammad Ali, the best boxer of all time. As a young child Muhammad Ali, originally known as Cassius Clay, grew up in a time of racism and hatred towards African Americans. Not only was Ali an African American, he would eventually become a muslim later in his life, which proved to be even more stressful. By later becoming a Muslim, he showed the U.S. that he was culturally different from most of the population, including me. As I read about Ali, I learned about his successes, and also his struggles.
The United States has become a country that is culturally integrated with many nationalities and religions. Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X were both considered as strong influences within the nation of Islam during the Civil Rights Movement. Although they shared great similarities about the Islamic religion, they also shared many differences amongst each other. In the early 1960's Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay, became a Muslim and was well known not only for his great boxing skills but for his controversial decision when he refused to be drafted to go and fight in Vietnam because of his religious beliefs; thus classifying Islam as a peaceful religion. On the other hand, Malcolm X was a minister who indicted white America for
Muhammad Ali was also known for being against the Vietnam War and Parkinson's disease. He became an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1964. After he was suspended for not accepting military service, Ali claimed the world heavyweight title two more times during the 1970s. Ali started boxing at a young age early on in his childhood.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali) ”When Ali was 12 years old, he took up boxing under the wing of Louisville policeman Joe Martin.
This didn’t aid to his popularity amongst mainstream media and most white people though as they had viewed it as a controversial move as at the time many people did not truly understand what it meant as it was a big topic of the Civil Rights Movement as Malcolm X was a very big part of this movement as he was a very mainstream Sunni Muslim and it took quite some time for it to be accepted by a mass majority of people. Not to mention Ali had stated that he was not going to the Vietnam War which caused another major rift between him and the mass media and he had reinforced his thoughts by stating that he should not have to participate in a war that he did not believe which was backed up by the Islamic teachings this was however not supported by the government and he was soon sent to be in jail and he was stripped of his title and was banned for 3 years and many stated that Ali was taking it too far and was being rebuffed by the
Muhammad Ali was a very influential person in the civil rights movement. He paved the way for equal rights in sports because he endured the hatred professionally. If he did not accept the discrimination in the manner that he did, then the sports would have rejected all colored people because they were perceived as temperamental fighters who couldn’t hold their anger in. As a result of his actions, the U.S. has improved much of their segregation laws and now has equality all over. During the times of Civil Rights, he did not know that he was making such an impact; he just wanted to be equal as every other person and he wanted to make sure others were being treated right as well.
In 1964, Muhammad Ali, one of America’s most polarizing and famous athletes for his boxing career, was being drafted to the military. Ali fizzled the U.S. Military qualifying test in light of the fact that his written work and spelling aptitudes were below the national standard. Because of the Vietnam War spiraling down as a lost war effort, the test norms were brought down in November 1965. Ali was then ultimately eligible for the draft and was to be named into the military. He was also going to be called for an act of duty due to the lack of soldiers in Vietnam, an already unpopular war (Cassius Marsellus CLAY, Jr.).
Muhammad Ali wouldn’t have become the advocate of political change and peace hadn’t certain life events during his childhood sparked his desire. Growing up in the west side of Louisville, Kentucky, a young Cassius Clay had his bike stolen from him at an early age. Sad and distraught, Cassius wanted to find a way to make sure that he would get his bike back. Family friends and neighbors of Cassius Clay recommended him to take up boxing to
Living in the same era and being of the same race, Muhammad Ali could relate his early life to Emmett Till. Faced with racial prejudice and discrimination, Muhammad Ali turned to boxing, growing and developing until
… Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them, poor people? Just take me to jail,” (Calamur 1). Because of the injustice, African Americans were put through in America Muhammad Ali refused to serve the country that did not treat him like a citizen (Orkand
The Champ Is Here Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was an activist and American professional boxer, however many knew him as the legendary Muhammad Ali. Clay altered his name to Ali after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964. Ali had a sister and four brothers. Clay lived in a time when racial segregation was at its peak. After being denied water due to his skin color and the murder of Emmett Till, Clay and a friend vandalized a local rail yard to take out their frustration.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17th, 1942, Muhammad Ali went from a 12-year old amateur boxer, to a boxing prodigy. At just 18, he won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Shortly after, he converted to Islam. In 1966, Muhammad Ali caused the white establishment in the U.S. to be hostile by refusing to be enrolled into the U.S. military, citing his beliefs and resistance to
Muhammad Ali has significantly benefitted modern society by creating equality between African Americans and whites, helping fight for a cure for Parkinson’s disease, and increasing the popularity of the sport of boxing. Muhammad Ali was not just one of the greatest boxers of all time; he was one of the greatest examples of all time. Muhammad Ali always said he wanted to be, more than a boxer, he wanted to inspire people all over the world (“Hauser”). To do this, Ali visited a lot of organizations such as, Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics making dreams of the young kids a reality.
86). From the start of his life Ali rebelled against everything and anyone that would look down on him or his people. He refused to accept the stereotypes that many African American faced during that time. Ali came forward to get his political views across, as well as his new religion, and his new name. His actions at that time nearly cost him the chance to fight for a heavyweight championship of the world.
