Illustration & Article by Curtis Lindgren, Photo Director
Muhammad Ali, born as Cassius Clay on Jan. 17, 1942, in Louisville, Ky., was an African-American professional boxer, activist, entertainer, poet and philanthropist. His journey into stardom began when he started training as an amateur boxer at the age of 12.
He won his first Olympic gold medal fighting in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics, and then eventually went onto win the world heavyweight championship against Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964, at the age of 22. In that same year, he officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali, renouncing his former name Cassius Clay as a “slave name”. This decision was very controversial at the time, as many claimed he was “un-American” and a terrorist for being affiliated with the Nation of Islam.
In 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military due to his opposing beliefs relating to the Vietnam War, going on to say that, “My enemy is white people, not Viet Cong, Chinese or Japanese. You are my opposer when I want freedom, you are my opposer when I want justice, you are my opposer when I want equality. You won’t even stand up for me in America for my religious beliefs, and you want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won’t even stand up for me here in America.”
Ali was found guilty of draft evasion and while he did manage to stay out of prison, he was stripped of his boxing titles. Despite this, his actions up to this point made him an icon for the larger 1960s counterculture generation. To this day, even after his death, Muhammad Ali is still very important to many African-Americans and is regarded as one of the most influential figures throughout the Civil Rights movement. His impact and legacy will forever live on in history and the hearts of many.