Muhammad Ali: All-American Hero?
It goes without saying that Muhammad Ali was one of the most influential, revolutionary people who ever lived.
But, in the past few days since his passing, I’ve started to see that something is happening to his image. I’ve saw all of the friendly, smiling pictures of Ali all over TV with him throwing playful jabs at celebrities. I saw pictures from his famous fights, I saw people posting all of the nonthreatening, “acceptable” quotes from him on social media, which were typically the ones devoid of any political/social commentary.
On the radio, I heard one journalist describe him as someone who “transcended the lines of race and religion”. I wondered if she was talking about the same Ali who I learned about.
That’s when I realized, America is starting to give Muhammad Ali “the MLK treatment”.
What I mean by “the MLK treatment” is how American media and politics often water down the legacies of once subversive, provocative and radical historical figures after their deaths.
The truth is that for much of his life, many Americans were not in love with Muhammad Ali. In fact, for much of the prime years of his career, Muhammad Ali was vilified.
Mainstream America fell in love with another Ali, an older Ali who they wanted to paint as a silent, smiling hero. After he became less vocal in his social commentary and after it literally became more difficult for him to speak, due to him suffering from Parkinsons, that’s when America began to change its tune about Ali. But America never fully embraced who Ali really was.
The real Ali was a black man with conviction, confidence and courage. He was radical, fearless and a threat to the status quo in this country.
He was also a Muslim, who was affiliated with one of the of most revolutionary black organizations of the 20th century, The Nation of Islam. One of his mentors was Malcolm X, who was arguably one of the most controversial Black men who ever lived.
He was unapologetically Black and was extremely vocal about his rejection of the notion of white supremacy. He gave up his given name of “Cassius Clay” due to it being given to his family by slave-owners, much to many Americans’ disapproval.
After he won a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics for boxing, he threw his medal into the Ohio River out of the anger and disgust which he felt for the racism he experienced in the country he taught he represented.
He famously (or infamously, depending on who you ask) took a stand against the war in Vietnam when at a time with many people were afraid to speak against the war and had his boxing license revoked for it.
Truth is, Muhammad Ali did not transcend race, politics or religion. Race, religion and the politics of America shaped his experiences and molded Ali into the great man that he was. By ignoring the adversity he faced within his home country, we do a disservice to Ali and to ourselves.
“I am America, I am the part you won’t recognize.
But get used to me—black, confident, cocky;
My name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.”
-Muhammad Ali (1942 – 2016)
But, in the past few days since his passing, I’ve started to see that something is happening to his image. I’ve saw all of the friendly, smiling pictures of Ali all over TV with him throwing playful jabs at celebrities. I saw pictures from his famous fights, I saw people posting all of the nonthreatening, “acceptable” quotes from him on social media, which were typically the ones devoid of any political/social commentary.
On the radio, I heard one journalist describe him as someone who “transcended the lines of race and religion”. I wondered if she was talking about the same Ali who I learned about.
That’s when I realized, America is starting to give Muhammad Ali “the MLK treatment”.
What I mean by “the MLK treatment” is how American media and politics often water down the legacies of once subversive, provocative and radical historical figures after their deaths.
The truth is that for much of his life, many Americans were not in love with Muhammad Ali. In fact, for much of the prime years of his career, Muhammad Ali was vilified.
Mainstream America fell in love with another Ali, an older Ali who they wanted to paint as a silent, smiling hero. After he became less vocal in his social commentary and after it literally became more difficult for him to speak, due to him suffering from Parkinsons, that’s when America began to change its tune about Ali. But America never fully embraced who Ali really was.
The real Ali was a black man with conviction, confidence and courage. He was radical, fearless and a threat to the status quo in this country.
He was also a Muslim, who was affiliated with one of the of most revolutionary black organizations of the 20th century, The Nation of Islam. One of his mentors was Malcolm X, who was arguably one of the most controversial Black men who ever lived.
He was unapologetically Black and was extremely vocal about his rejection of the notion of white supremacy. He gave up his given name of “Cassius Clay” due to it being given to his family by slave-owners, much to many Americans’ disapproval.
After he won a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics for boxing, he threw his medal into the Ohio River out of the anger and disgust which he felt for the racism he experienced in the country he taught he represented.
He famously (or infamously, depending on who you ask) took a stand against the war in Vietnam when at a time with many people were afraid to speak against the war and had his boxing license revoked for it.
Truth is, Muhammad Ali did not transcend race, politics or religion. Race, religion and the politics of America shaped his experiences and molded Ali into the great man that he was. By ignoring the adversity he faced within his home country, we do a disservice to Ali and to ourselves.
“I am America, I am the part you won’t recognize.
But get used to me—black, confident, cocky;
My name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.”
-Muhammad Ali (1942 – 2016)
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