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Cassias Clay A.K.A. Muhammad Ali Born:

Jan. 17, 1942

Muhammad was a strong believer in black’s rights and lead support for blacks of all races. With Malcolm X he helped raise awareness for the black mans plight. Ali also resented the war in Vietnam and didn’t go when he was drafted. He believed that since he wasn’t allowed freedoms he wasn’t qualified to fight in war. For this he lost his title of heavyweight champion and was suspended even though charges of contempt were never brought against him. Ali was fined $10,000 for his claim that he would fight for an Islamic holy war but not Vietnam. Muhammad had a lot of drive for Black’s rights because of many things. First off he had represented America in the Olympics. He felt that he worked so hard and represented his country yet he couldn’t get service from a restaurant. He felt like he owed it to his fellow African Americans to help fight for equality. Malcolm X said, "He will mean more to his people than any athlete before him. He is more than [first black major-league baseball player] Jackie Robinson was, because Robinson is the white man's hero. But Cassius is the black man's hero. Do you know why? Because the white press wanted him to lose because he is a Muslim. You notice nobody cares about the religion of other athletes. But their prejudice against Clay blinded them to his ability." Cassias changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam and this let him lead many of the people of the Muslim movement. Ali also was a figure against the Vietnam War. Many people felt that Ali should have went to Vietnam but he true to his pacifist ways didn’t go by claiming to be a Muslim minister. Ali was driven by is pledge to himself to become famous then use it to help people. Later in his life he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease where he formed a foundation to find a cure for this neurologic disease. Muhammad Ali was a professional Boxer and one of the best of all times. He was later an activist and leader for the Democratic Party and spokes persons for the fight against Parkinson’s disease. Ali made around $50 million even though about 2/3 of the money went to manager fees and taxes. Ali now goes on tours all over the world speaking and giving hope to many different groups of people.

“Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee.” Muhammad Ali

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