Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali who was originally known as Cassius Clay Jr. is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist, and civil rights activist. Considered a cultural icon, Ali was both idolized as well as vilified.
It would be easiest to brag about how many championships he has acquired or fights he has won throughout his career, but Ali did not become one of the more famous people in the world by just winning numerous amounts of fights. He was a daily headline, the bigger ones outside the ring. He was complicated and unpredictable, refreshing, and controversial. He was totally against racism and wanted equality for every human being. He won a gold medal for the United States in the 1960 Rome Olympics and proudly stood on the victory stand. Later, he reportedly threw the medal into the Ohio River after not being allowed to eat in a whites-only restaurant.
Ali used the heavyweight championship tile as a weapon against the social and economic injustices of his time. He became the most recognized American on the globe, his words to dictators freed hostages where military force and political authority failed and he still took the time to play with kids on the street when he came to their neighborhoods whether it was in Detroit or Zaire. He fought evil and injustice with all the tools God gave him, harder and in a bigger arena than he ever did as a boxer. Ali paid a huge cost for his beliefs without thought to his personal gain, and proved Hemingway right, "a man can be destroyed, but not defeated".
When the time came to oppose the killing of innocent people, he did what any fighter would do. He saw injustice, and he fought it. Muhammad Ali was a man, he made mistakes just like any other, but the difference was he was able to overcome his human frailties. His stand on the Vietnam War transcended race, he spoke for all humanity, and took the responsibility for his decisions like a true American hero. Ali changed the United States in so many ways throughout his lifetime. In race relations, he showed people of all ethnicities and religions how to be proud, confident, and strong human beings in this life. By not going to fight in the Vietnam War he showed people to stand up for what they believe in and fight for what is right. “No, I am not going 10,000 miles to help murder, kill, and burn other people to simply help continue the domination of white slave masters over dark people the world over. This is the day and age when such evil injustice must come to an end.” Muhammad Ali was brave enough to say this in front of millions, but that just goes to show that he was a man who stood up for what was right and inspired millions to do the same.
His legacy will forever be remembered, not only by his championship titles, but by his selflessness and his philanthropic works in the world. He is a man who has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, who traveled to Iraq to negotiate directly with Saddam Hussein for the release of American hostages, who was involved in calling for the eventual release of the three American hikers in Iran. He has lived a life of everything and anything. He has been liked and disliked and is now mostly beloved.