On this date in 1967, Muhammed Ali was arrested for refusing his conscription into the US military for the Vietnam War. Ali was the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, and arguably the most famous athlete in the world, perhaps of all time. Yet later that day he was stripped of his titles and effectively banned from boxing for more than 3 years, at the height of his athletic prowess.
Ali was already a powerful symbol for African-American Civil Rights. His decision to be a conscientious objector, refusing to be drafted for the Vietnam War, elevated his status in the US and around the world as a counter-cultural icon. He stated, “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?” (source) Ali would eventually box again, regaining his championship belts, but it is his status as a champion of peace and of human rights that make him a true hero.
Find out more:
Muhammad Ali and Vietnam- The Atlantic
Why Ali Refused to Fight in the War- Washington Post
Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction- History.com
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 
The documentary ‘When We Were Kings’, about Ali v Foreman’s “rumble in the jungle” is also worth a watch. Great post! 👍
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One reader mentioned the excellent documentary film, “When We Were Kings.” This Oscar winning documentary feature focuses on “The Rumble in the Jungle,” Ali’s bout with George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. However, like all things relating to Ali, it is about far more than boxing. The film is excellent look into the relationship between Ali, Africa, pan-Africanism and myriad issues around racism, imperialism, and more.
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