muhammad ali
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Muhammad Ali Was This Close to Portraying Superman in the 1978 Film
Muhammad Ali floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, but he almost flew like a DC Comics superhero. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the heavyweight champion was on the shortlist to become Superman in the 1978 film of the same name, which ultimately starred Christopher Reeve. “One of the conditions with DC Comics…
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In His Shoes: Lenny Kravitz Shows Off Collectibles From His Idols for GQ
Aside from being a bona fide rock star, Lenny Kravitz is known as a man of style. In addition to his own incredible personal aesthetic, he’s also the creative force behind Kravitz Design, which has created and collaborated on everything from sunglasses to hotel suites to a collection of furniture for CB2. So when the…
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Trump’s Pardon of Muhammad Ali Would Mean Nothing
President Donald Trump today revealed that he’s considering thousands of potential pardons, including one for Muhammad Ali’s overturned conviction for draft evasion. His statements were greeted by the sports world, black America and even Ali’s former lawyer with a collective yawn. Never mind the fact that neither Ali nor his estate would benefit from said…
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The Quickest and Easiest Way to Effect Change? Be Famous
A few months back, I had the opportunity to speak at the University of California, Berkeley, about identity politics and public policy. I was asked at one point what I thought was the best way to make a difference in the world. It’s a pretty lofty question and is generally met with platitudes about being…
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Trump Wants to Posthumously Pardon Muhammad Ali, Who Rolled Over in His Grave so the President Could Kiss His Ass
Not sure if Donald Trump believes that all deceased black boxers need pardoning or if he just likes pardoning things, but during his nearly 18-minute rant on the White House lawn Friday before heading off to embarrass America once again on the global stage at the G-7 summit, the president floated the idea of pardoning…
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Malcolm X Tells His Story in New Documentary Featuring Rarely and Never-Before-Seen Footage
In front of a rapt audience at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Malcolm X’s third daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, talked about witnessing the assassination of her father at Harlem’s Audubon Theatre and Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965. “I’m told my mother placed her entire body over my sisters and me that…
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Watch: 3 Athletes Who Risked It All Before Colin Kaepernick
When now-former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee to bring attention to injustice, he may have lost his career simply by speaking out. We’ve seen this happen before: Muhammad Ali gave up almost four of his prime fighting years to stand against the Vietnam War, and Tommie Smith and John Carlos were…
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Watch: Laila Ali Knows What She Wants and Will Break Down Any Barrier in Her Way
To be clear: There is no ambiguity about what Laila Ali wants and the path she is willing to take to get there. Nearly two decades ago, Ali wrapped up her knuckles, slipped on boxing gloves and stepped into the ring. She made a life-changing decision—going from being a nail-salon owner to a pro boxer—and…
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Muhammad Ali Jr. on His Detainment: ‘I Felt Like Somebody That Wasn’t a Citizen of the United States’
When Muhammad Ali Jr. was first detained by immigration officials at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport as he traveled back from Jamaica with his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, toward the end of February, initially, the son of the legendary boxer wasn’t so quick to blame President Donald Trump’s misguided Muslim travel ban. “I was coming from…