Muhammad Ali passed away on Friday, June 3, at the age of 74.
On Saturday, The Atlantic published an excellent article written by Gillian B. White. In it, she recalls her grandfather's and father's contrasting attitudes toward Ali, her grandfather - born only 25 years after the Civil War - disapproving him and fearing the loss of his own ability to live a comfortable enough life, her father admiring him for demanding something more. After all, black people were better off than they had been in the recent past, but limitations were still excessive, and demands for racial equality were increasing tensions between races throughout the nation.
Each time I read about or listen to Muhammad Ali, I am simply blown away.
For obvious reasons, each generation experienced this man differently. But it's clear that he's worth remembering. So, how is our generation supposed to carry on his legacy?
The same way remember anyone we lose: we examine, we reflect, and we apply what we've learned to our own ways of living. By doing so, he lives on through us.
Let's examine:
Let's reflect:
Muhammad Ali could certainly roll with the punches. Just look at him in the ring: he is perpetually in motion, he dodges his opponents with impressive agility and grace, and he never loses focus, even when he's been hit. He embraces every aspect of himself unapologetically. Rather than "transcending" his race, he wholeheartedly embraces it in a society that deems blackness as shameful.
And while his confidence is unquestionable, he is far from egocentric. He is a man of faith who is also concerned with social unity and human welfare. He understands that life is short, and he holds himself accountable for working toward the changes he wishes to see in his world. He speaks loudly and passionately, because he knows he can't be silent. He is a poet. He is an activist. He is a fighter. He is a peacemaker.
In short, he is a man on fire.
Let's apply:
I would love nothing more than for our generation to do much of the same, to unapologetically embrace everything that makes us who we are: our strengths, our weaknesses, our physical and spiritual characteristics. To begin to know ourselves so completely that we can carry ourselves with Ali's resilience and sureness of self. To remind our world that we belong here, exactly as we are. To treat ourselves like royalty, and to not accept any lesser form of treatment from anyone else. To not forget that everyone around us, whether or not they choose to acknowledge it, is royalty as well. To treat them accordingly. To treat them with respect.
Live your life like the world is on fire and time is running out, because it is. Roll with the punches, don't simply tolerate them. Stand up. Do something. Let's fight for ourselves. Let's fight for each other.
