Ali had been hospitalized with respiratory issues earlier in the week, issues that doctors said were onset from his diagnosis and struggle with Parkinson’s Disease back in the 1980’s. Aside from being one of the most controversial athletes of the 20th century, Ali became one of the most influential as well with his constant advocacy for self-respect from others, as well as his constant delving into the political scene of America.
After changing his name from Cassius Clay in order not to have a “slave” name, Ali converted from Christianity to Islam, and rejected the Civil Rights Movement’s goal of racial integration. He devoted his time and efforts to promoting Islam and working on humanitarian causes.
In a press statement on Muhammad Ali’s death, President Obama said, “Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. Period. If you just asked him, he’d tell you. He’d tell you he was the double greatest; that he’d ‘handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail.’ ”
” ‘I am America‘,” he once declared. ” ‘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.’ ”
Thought Muhammad Ali may not be a fashion icon or something you’d necessarily say had a MAJOR influence in fashion, he did teach the world to think for themselves and be unapologetically who they are. Rest in Power to the one who could float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee. Muhammad Ali.
