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In 1942 Cassius Marcellus Clay was born, on January 17, in Louisville, Kentucky. Then at the age of twelve he started boxing. When he was 22 he took the world heavyweight championship title from sonny Liston.  Three years later he was stripped of his boxing license and the heavyweight title by the New York State athletic commission and world boxing association, in May 1967.

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He became world heavyweight champion three times.
he won a gold medal in 1960 at the Olympics.
In the year 1974 he beat joe Frazier in a refight to become world heavyweight champion once again.

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Cassius Marcellus clay helped release hostages from iraq

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because when he won a medal he went to a store and they said the don’t serve coloreds and they sill take black peoples rights away from them

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The killing of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri, triggered a nationwide protest against police shootings of black community members amid criticism of excessive police violence and lack of accountability and demands for a change in approaches to law enforcement.

Michael Brown (1996-2014), African American man killed in Ferguson, Missouri.

James Comey (1960-), director of the FBI.

Eric Garner (1970-2014), African American man killed in police custody.

Loretta Lynch (1959-), attorney general of the United States.

Jason Van Dyke, Chicago police officer indicted for fatally shooting Laquan McDonald.

In August of 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. A grand jury decided not to indict the officers involved. This incident sparked tension and nationwide protests against police treatment of African Americans in the United States. Since then, in the wake of similar incidents, protestors have increasingly accused law enforcement officers of being too quick to use lethal force against unarmed members of the black community, and police behavior has come under even more intense public and federal scrutiny and investigation.

According to Michael Lomax, executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association, "Ferguson was a watershed moment in policing. Police understand they are now under the microscope." The impact of Ferguson has changed attitudes toward law enforcement and the policing of black communities. Professor Paul Butler of Georgetown University, a former federal prosecutor, agrees that trends have changed because of the lethal shooting in Ferguson and the ensuing tensions. "Prior to Ferguson, police were politically untouchable," says Butler. "Ferguson changed that calculus.... Five years from now, every major police department in America will have officers who wear body cameras. That is a change that is happening right now because of Ferguson."

Mapping Police Violence is an organization that gathers, researches, and analyzes information from databases on police killings in the United States to "quantify the impact of police violence in communities." According to findings reported on Mapping Police Violence's website, in 2015, members of police forces in various states killed at least 102 unarmed black people, more than any other race. On the other hand, only 9 of the 102 cases reported in 2015 resulted in criminal charges against police officers.

The Guardian and The Washington Post have also collected and published data on fatal police shootings in an online database. According to FBI Director James Comey, those records hold comprehensive statistics that are better than the records of the FBI, which rely on voluntary reporting by law enforcement. Critics of law enforcement claim that the FBI data is incomplete, and that it understates the total numbers, while Comey called the FBI's skewed statistics "embarrassing and ridiculous." In October of 2015, Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney general, announced a pilot program to keep track of police killings nationwide. The U.S. Department of Justice plans to start a database, called The Counted, based on the Guardian's investigative public-service project and other open source records, which keeps track of police killings in the United States.

The pattern continues when looking at similar quantifying statistics. The total number of people killed by police officers in the United States in 2015 is 1,134. The death rate for young black men was five times higher than that of white men, of the same age. According to Brittany Packnett, a member of the White House taskforce on policing, "This epidemic is disproportionately affecting black people. We are wasting so many promising young lives by continuing to allow this to happen."

Black Lives Matter is a movement for racial justice that started after the Ferguson killing. The movement protests police brutality and the lack of transparency in investigations of police shootings of black people, and it calls for much more accountability. They claim that police officers are often given the benefit of the doubt in incidents in black communities and that police interaction with citizens in those communities makes residents feel less rather than more safe. Black Lives Matter protestors are also targeting the injustice of judicial verdicts, citing grand jury decisions not to charge police officers who have killed black people, such as in the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Garner, a 44-year-old black man, died in police custody in 2014, after being held in a chokehold by a police officer.

In a number of cases, video evidence from police cameras and bystanders has led to police convictions, in some instances contradicting officers' accounts of events. In November of 2015, Jason Van Dyke, a Chicago police officer, was charged with first-degree murder, for the lethal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. The evidence came from a police dashboard camera. Despite the charges, protestors still demand accountability of the Chicago authorities for the drawn-out investigation and for what they claim is dereliction of duties. The officer had many previous civilian complaints against him, which he denied, including for use of excessive force and racial slurs. The Chicago police department has a history of other such cases related to officers who have avoided punishment. Following the murder charges against Van Dyke, Craig Futterman of the University of Chicago Law School said, "This case shows the operation of the code of silence in the Chicago Police Department. From the very start you have officers and detectives conspiring to cover up the story."

Following the deaths of unarmed black men across the country, the nationwide movement that has stemmed from these events has strengthened and gained momentum. Activists and concerned citizens are speaking out against the use of force and are questioning police tactics. They contend that the system is corrupt. In October of 2015, there was a mass demonstration in the streets of Manhattan as part of Rise Up October, a protest against police brutality in the United States.

Two months later, December 14, 2015, became the most significant day of widespread organized protests and civil disobedience in major cities in the United States. Thousands marched in Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Boston, Massachusetts; in mass protests against police violence and the killing of unarmed black men. The protestors chanted references to the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of the police; "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" and "I can't breathe," became demonstration catchphrases.

The Washington, D.C., event, labeled the "Justice for All March," was attended by thousands with speeches by community and civil rights leaders sending a clear message. At the conclusion of the rally, Reverend Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network, which organized the event, demanded that Congress pass new laws and jurisdictions in cases of fatal police shootings. He introduced family members of the black men who were killed; among them were the parents of Michael Brown and the mother and widow of Eric Garner.

Some law enforcement officials have voiced fears that increased public scrutiny of police shootings could result in a higher death toll for police. Jim Pasco, executive director of the national Fraternal Order of Police, is concerned about this trend. "We are worried that police officers who should rely on their intuition and training to make a split-second decision--which could mean life or death for them--won't do it. That their fear of being second-guessed, and maybe even prosecuted, will take over instead."

The climate of criticism and protest against police shootings of African Americans has raised voices blaming the Black Lives Matter movement for a backlash of violence against police. They have directly, and indirectly, accused the movement of incitement. Sheriff Ron Hickman of Harris County, Texas, lost one of his deputies, Darren Goforth, in a shooting in Houston. He said of the man arrested in connection with the shooting, "Our assumption is that he [Goforth] was a target because he wore a uniform. We've heard 'Black Lives Matter' and 'All Lives Matter.' Well, cops' lives matter, too." He later appeared on Fox News, and said, "You can't help but wonder if there are people who are susceptible to the message that someone should lash out and make targets of police officers."

Others are quick to point out that resentment toward police officers who abuse authority has existed for years, as has the demand for accountability. Yet, it is still rare when inquiries and questions about police conduct and law enforcement officials lead to charges and criminal convictions. Thus, a movement that started to protest police shootings and excessive force against black community members has grown to encompass police violence and brutality in general.

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Police Shootings against Black Community Members Draw Criticism and Legal Action against Law Enforcement

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The killing of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri, triggered a nationwide protest against police shootings of black community members amid criticism of excessive police violence and lack of accountability and demands for a change in approaches to law enforcement. Michael Brown (1996-2014), African American man killed in Ferguson, Missouri.

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Born: January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Died: June 03, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Other Names: Clay, Cassius; Clay, Cassius Marcellus, Jr.

Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), known for his lyrical charm and boasts as much as for his powerful fists, moved far beyond the boxing ring in both influence and purpose. Ali won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and later tossed it into a river because he was disgusted by racism in the United States. As a young man, he was recruited by Malcolm X to join the Nation of Islam. He refused to serve in Vietnam--a professional fighter willing to serve time in jail for his pacifist ideals. He contributed to countless, diverse charities and causes. In his later years, despite his struggle with Parkinson's disease, Ali maintained an active public presence and continued to make appearances as often as his health allowed. Ali died on June 3, 2016. In 2017, Muhammad Ali Enterprises sued Fox for unlicensed use of the athlete's likeness and persona.

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, and was raised in a clapboard house at 3302 Grand Avenue in middle-class Louisville, Kentucky. He began boxing at the age of 12. A white Louisville patrolman named Joe Martin, who had an early television show called Tomorrow's Champions, started Ali working out in Louisville's Columbia Gym, but it was a Black trainer named Fred Stoner who taught Ali the science of boxing. Stoner taught him to move with the grace of a dancer and impressed upon him the subtle skills necessary to move beyond good and into the realm of great.

The following month, Ali--then still known by the name Cassius Clay--fought Sonny Liston in a match of classic contenders for the heavyweight championship of the world. The Miami fight almost single-handedly restored intelligence and balance to boxing. Ali had been chanting the war cry "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" for weeks; he beat Liston in a display of beautiful, controlled boxing. Liston could hit with deadly power, but Ali utilized his skills and courage with forethought and aplomb. He won the fight to become heavyweight champion of the world. At the tender age of 22, Ali knew that he was something above and beyond a great boxer: He had marketing sense, political finesse, and a feeling of noble purpose. Throughout his lifetime, Ali also became known for his poetry. His love of language emerged in lines of bravado such as "Henry, this is no jive. The fight will end in five." NPR's Juan Vidal declared: "What cannot be argued, though, is that Muhammad Ali was the greatest poet and performance artist to ever grace the professional ring. He was a truth teller in every sense, an anti-war pot-stirrer with a wry wit who would effortlessly kick into verse mid-conversation. He wasn't a politician like some have tried to make him out to be. But his presence, his voice and his poet-like conviction carried political weight beyond that of any athlete of his era, and perhaps ever."

Committed to Political Ideals

Throughout his career and life, Ali professed to want to help other Black Americans--and he did, time and time again. When he returned from Italy in 1960, having just won an Olympic gold medal, he was so proud of his trophy that he wore it day and night and showed it to everyone, whether they wanted to see it or not. In the Philadelphia Inquirer Ali's first wife remembered him saying "I was young, Black Cassius Marcellus Clay, who had won a gold medal for his country. I went to downtown Louisville to a five-and-dime store that had a soda fountain. I sat down at the counter to order a burger and soda pop. The waitress looked at me.... 'Sorry, we don't serve coloreds,' she said. I was furious. I went all the way to Italy to represent my country, won a gold medal, and now I come back to America and can't even get served at a five-and-dime store. I went to a bridge, tore the medal off my neck and threw it into the river. That gold medal didn't mean a thing to me if my Black brothers and sisters were treated wrong in a country I was supposed to represent."

While in Miami, at the age of 21, Ali was inspired by human rights activist Malcolm X to become a member of the Muslim faith. The following year, Malcolm X said of Ali, as was quoted by Houston Horn in Sports Illustrated, "[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." Twelve years later, on Face The Nation, Ali said "We don't have Black Muslims, that's a press word. We have white brothers, we have brown, red, and yellow, all colors can be Muslims.... I'm looking for peace one day with all people." Cassius Clay Jr. was given the name Muhammad Ali by Muslim patriarch Elijah Muhammad; it was not just a name, but a title meaning "beloved of Allah," deity of the Muslim faith.

Ali retained his world heavyweight champion title in June of 1965 by again knocking out Sonny Liston, this time with a stunning right-hand punch to the side of the head. The knock-out blow was thrown with the astounding speed that separated Ali from other heavyweights; it had sufficient force to lift Liston's left foot--upon which most of his weight was resting--clear off the canvas.

Elder Statesman of Boxing

Toward the end of Ali's boxing career, and afterward, his ambitions took a decided turn toward statesmanship. In 1980 he cast his lot with the Democratic Party, supporting then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. In August of that year, while in intense training for the Holmes fight, he found time to work the floor of the Democratic National Convention in New York City. He also functioned as something of a diplomat in February of 1985 when he attempted to secure the release of four kidnapped Americans in Lebanon; unfortunately, he and his three advisers were not successful.

Although Parkinson's syndrome slowed Ali down, he remained active--raising money for the Muhammad Ali Foundation and frequently appearing at sports tributes and fund-raisers. His wife Lonnie stated in People, "Muhammad knows he has this illness for a reason. It's not by chance. Parkinson's disease has made him a more spiritual person. Muhammad believes God gave it to him to bring him to another level, to create another destiny."

During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, 3.5 billion people watched on television as three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali slowly ascended the stadium steps with trembling hands to ignite the Olympic Flame. Everyone was deeply touched, though no one more so than Ali himself. "He kept turning it [the torch] in his hands and looking at it. He knows now that people won't slight his message because of his impairment." said his wife Lonnie in People.

Ali was blessed to meet with important dignitaries over the years, including President Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, and Pope John Paul II. His travels were his main source of income, charging as much as $200,000 for appearances. He typically traveled 275 days out of the year. Although he enjoyed his missionary work and public appearances, Ali's greatest pleasure during this time was when he was at home in Berrien Springs, Michigan, with his family--wife Lonnie and his adopted son, Asaad Amin. When asked if he had any regrets, Ali responded, "My children, I never got to raise them because I was always boxing and because of divorce," he said in People. When asked whether he was sorry he ever got into the ring, he responded, "If I wasn't a boxer, I wouldn't be famous. If I wasn't famous, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now."

Even into the 2000s, Ali's legacy lived on in a number of ways. In November of 2005, after years of preparation, the Muhammad Ali Center (MAC) was opened in Louisville, Kentucky. The MAC was both a museum celebrating Ali's life and career and--at Ali's request--a forum for sharing his ideals and beliefs, and for promoting respect, hope, and understanding. The same year, he received the presidential Medal of Freedom.

As time went on, Ali's health became a greater concern. In February 2013, reports surfaced suggesting Ali was gravely ill and near death. These reports, which allegedly stemmed from comments made by Ali's brother Rahman Ali, were later refuted by the former champion's daughter May May Ali. Ali did, however, experience some real health setbacks in 2015. In February of that year, just a week after he successfully fought off a serious urinary tract infection, Ali was rushed to the hospital after being found unresponsive in his bed. After undergoing further treatment, he returned to his Arizona home determined as ever to continue the fight.

Ali was the subject of numerous books and film tributes over the years, including the 1997 documentary When We Were Kings, but none were more spectacular than the 2003 publication GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali, a giant (20-inches square, weighing 75 pounds, and costing $3,000) tribute to Ali's entire career; the title GOAT stands for "Greatest of All Time." The work that was closest to Ali's own heart, however, was his memoir The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflection's on Life's Journey, which he wrote with the help of his daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali. He continued to travel and make appearances into the 2010s. In 2012 he made an appearance during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in London, England. In 2013 the former boxer was featured in the documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali. The film addresses many controversies and issues including Ali's refusal to go to war, his name change, and his choice of religion.

On April 9, 2016, Ali took part in a Parkinson's fundraiser in Phoenix, Arizona; this event would be his final public appearance. On Monday, May 30, Ali developed a suspected respiratory illness and he was admitted to a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital. Ali had managed to recover from past illnesses--including a bout with pneumonia in 2014, and his 2015 urinary tract infection--but as the week progressed, his condition worsened. Surrounded by his family, the boxing legend passed away on Friday, June 3, 2016. Ali's family, friends, celebrities and dignitaries made tributes and shared remembrances of the great boxer and humanitarian, and his many fans and admirers honored him with makeshift memorials and vigils around the world. Ali's body would return to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where an interfaith service and other tributes were planned. Many public figures paid homage to Ali's life and his impact on the world, including President Barack Obama, who said Ali "shook up the world. And the world is better for it. We are all better for it."

In 2017, the Fox television network used Ali's likeness in an advertisement just before Super Bowl LI. In response, Muhammad Ali Enterprises sued the network for unlicensed use of Ali's likeness and persona. They claimed that the advertisement used to promote their own services could have been sold for $30 million, and thus demanded $30 million in restitution.

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, KY; died on June 3, 2016, in Scottsdale, AZ; name changed to Muhammad Ali, 1963; son of Cassius (a piano player) and Odessa Clay; first wife, Sonji Roy; second wife, Belinda Boyd; third wife, Veronica Porche; married fourth wife, Yolanda "Lonnie" Williams, 1986; children: seven daughters, two sons. Addresses: Web site--ali.com.

CAREER:

Boxer, 1960-81; humanitarian. Began professional boxing career, 1960; first became heavyweight champ, 1964; boxing record: 56 wins, 5 losses, with 37 knockouts.

AWARDS:

Olympic Gold Medal in boxing, 1960; six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles; National Golden Gloves titles, 1959-60; World Heavyweight Championship, 1964-67, 1974-78, 1978-79; U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, inductee, 1983; named the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, Ring Magazine, 1987; International Boxing Hall of Fame, inductee, 1990; Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Award, Lifetime Achievement, 1992; Muhammad Ali Museum, Louisville Galleria, opened 1995; Essence Award, 1997; Arthur Ashe Award for Courage to All, ESPN (Espy) Award, 1997; Service to America Leadership Award, National Association of Broadcasters Foundation, 2001; presidential Medal of Freedom, 2005.

WORKS:

Books

(With Richard Durham) The Greatest: My Own Story, Random House, 1975.

Ali! Ali! The Words of Muhammad Ali, edited by Sultan Karim, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979.

(With Thomas Hauser) Healing, Collins Publishers San Francisco, 1996.

I Am the Greatest: The Best Quotations from Muhammed Ali, Andrews McMeel, 2002.

(With Hana Yasmeen Ali) Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey, Simon & Schuster, 2004.

Films

FURTHER READINGS:

Books

Early, Gerald, ed., The Muhammad Ali Reader, Ecco Press, 1998.

GOAT: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali, Taschen, 2003.

Kram, Mark, Ghosts of Manila: The Fateful Blood Feud between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, HarperCollins, 2001.

Miller, Davis, The Tao of Muhammad Ali, Warner Books, 1996.

Muhammad Ali (photographs), Harry N. Abrams, 2004.

Myers, Walter Dean, The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, Scholastic, 2001.

Pacheco, Ferdie, Muhammad Ali: A View from the Corner, Birch Lane Press, 1992.

Remnick, David, King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero, Random House, 1998.

Periodicals

Atlanta Journal and Constitution, December 13, 1988.

Boston Globe, October 1, 1984.

Chicago Tribune, October 9, 1984.

Ebony, April 1969.

Face the Nation (transcript of CBS-TV program), May 2, 1976.

Interview, February 1, 2004.

Jet, July 2, 2001.

Newsweek, June 22, 1987.

Daily News (New York, New York), February 2, 1989.

New York Post, July 14, 1987.

New York Times Magazine, July 17, 1988.

People, Jan 13, 1997, p. 40.

Philadelphia Inquirer, August 12, 1990.

Spin, October 1991.

Sports Illustrated, December 20, 1976; April 25, 1988.

Time, December 13, 2004.

Washington Post, June 9, 1991.

Online

"About the Film," The Trials of Muhammad Ali Official Web Site, http://thetrialsofali.com/about.html (July 28, 2014).

"Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali in Hospital After Being Found 'Unresponsive' at His Home," Daily Mirror http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/boxing-legend-muhammad-ali-intensive-4987518 (February 26, 2015).

"Boxing's odd couple: Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell," USA Today https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/06/04/muhammad-ali-howard-cosell-boxing-odd-couple/85374536/ (November 4, 2020).

"Fox Hit With $30M Suit by Muhammad Ali Enterprises Over Super Bowl Promo," Deadline, http://deadline.com/2017/10/muhammad-ali-sues-fox-30-million-super-bowl-promo-nfl-1202185477/ (November 20, 2017).

"GOAT," http://www.taschen-goat.com/index1.html (June 8, 2005).

"Muhammad Ali," http://www.ali.com (June 8, 2005).

"Muhammad Ali: A Poet In And Out Of The Ring," NPR, https://www.npr.org/2016/06/06/480958894/muhammad-ali-a-poet-in-and-out-of-the-ring (November 4, 2020).

Muhammad Ali Center, http://www.alicenter.org/heart/index.shtml (June 8, 2005).

"Muhammad Ali: Inside his final hours," CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/04/us/muhammad-ali-final-days (June 5, 2016).

"Muhammad Ali: The Making of a Champ," http://www.courier-journal.com/ali (June 8, 2005).

"Muhammad Ali Released From Hospital on Eve of 73rd Birthday," CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/16/us/muhammad-ali-hospital/ (February 26, 2015).

"Muhammad Ali Returns to the Olympic Stage, Once Again, in London," CNN, http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/27/sport/olympics-muhammad-ali (April 2, 2013).

"Muhammad Ali 's Daughter: Father Watching Super Bowl, Not Near Death," CBS, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/muhammad-alis-daughter-father-watching-super-bowl-not-near-death/ (February 26, 2015).

"The World Remembers Muhammad Ali," New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/sports/muhammad-ali-world-reacts-to-his-death.html?_r=0 (June 5, 2016).

Other

Source Citation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Born: January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States Died: June 03, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States Other Names: Clay, Cassius; Clay, Cassius Marcellus, Jr. Three-time world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (1942-2016), known for his lyrical charm and boasts as much as for his powerful fists, moved far beyond the boxing ring in both influence and purpose.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Born: January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States Died: June 03, 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States Other Names: Clay, Cassius; Clay, Cassius Marcellus, Jr.