Muhammad Ali Legacy Essay

Leena Adam

Ms. Barela

English 9 HN

Research Paper Rough Draft

February 2023

Legacy: the aftereffects of a person's actions on the world. Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942. He was a famous boxer, known worldwide for his abilities and accomplishments as an activist and boxer. Muhammad Ali was brave and considerate, was proud of his identity, and had an everlasting influence on the world. In this essay, I’ll be talking about Muhammad Ali and his bravery, his pride in his identity, and his influence on the world. Muhammad Ali was an extremely courageous and brave person.

Muhammad Ali was an extraordinarily courageous and brave person. In "Remembering Muhammad Ali, A Man Who Lived Life More Than Most," the audiofile by All

In the obituary by the Globe and Mail, it was said that "he was a man who 'stood for the world'; It was his antics and words outside of the ring that transformed the heavyweight champion into a household name." After defeating Mr. Liston to win the heavyweight title in 1964, Mr. Ali shocked the boxing world by announcing he was a member of the Black Muslims, the Nation of Islam, and rejecting his "slave name," according to the Toronto Globe and Mail. Muhammad Ali's letting the people know that he is a proud black Muslim and letting them know that he would be rejecting his slave name (Cassius Clay) is a very difficult thing to do. During the 1900s, racism and slavery were still relevant things, and to blatantly reject them both publicly and privately was a very dangerous thing to do for both him and his family. In the obituary "He was a man who 'stood for the world'; It was his antics and words outside of the ring that transformed the heavyweight champion into a household name" By Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada), Muhammad Ali said that "I don't have to be what you want me to be," he told reporters the morning after beating Mr. Liston. "I'm free to be who I want." This powerful sentence shows his individuality, shows the reader how secure he is in his identity, and allows the reader to notice how certain he is in the belief that he is free to be whoever he wants, and not be confined to society's expectations and beliefs. In the biography

In the biography "Muhammad Ali" by Contemporary Black Biography, Malcolm X talks about Ali to Sports Illustrated and says, "[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 [his heavyweight championship bout]...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." Muhammad Ali will matter and have a larger influence on black society because he is the black man's hero. White people wanted him to lose his career because he is a black Muslim, but did not succeed, and that itself will provide hope for black people and black Muslims. Muhammad will serve as a figure to look up to, especially because he too was affected by society's negative outlook and horrendous beliefs that someone shouldn't be allowed to be successful and shouldn't deserve their fame just because of their skin tone and religious beliefs. In the biography "Muhammad Ali'' by Contemporary Black Biography, Young Ali says, 'I'm gonna get famous so I can help my people," Indicating his continuing desire to help people, in 1990 Ali visited Our Children's Foundation, Inc., on Manhattan's 125th Street. According to Bill Gallo in the Daily News, he