From The Root -
A Silenced Ali Was a Likeable Ali for White People
White America only embraced the most loquacious black man in sports after he couldn’t speak anymore.
By Lawrence Ross
“I am the greatest.”
There will be thousands of well-deserved tributes to Muhammad Ali, and all will talk about his transformation from heavyweight boxing champion to international humanitarian. And that is important to note. But the thing most will miss is how Ali’s voice, a bold black and Muslim voice that spoke eloquently for the aspirations of oppressed peoples in America and throughout the world, was reviled by most of white America at its height, and rendered nearly mute as Parkinson’s disease overtook his neurological functions. As his physical voice disappeared, Ali gradually moved from being a complex human being to a safe idea, a living icon defined by an America that loves to believe that in its essence, it is as great as the black man who boldly stated that he was the greatest of all time.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/06/a-silenced-ali-was-a-likeable-ali-for-white-people/?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26
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