Congressional Record, Volume 162 Issue 90 (Wednesday, June 8, 2016)

[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 8, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H3549-H3555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

HONORING THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD ALI

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

General Leave

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, one of the great joys of representing
Louisville in the House of Representatives is that I get to constantly
claim that I represent Muhammad Ali and the home of Muhammad Ali. It
has always been a source of pride not just to me, but to all of my
fellow Louisvillians that we could say that the Louisville Lip, the
greatest of all time, called Louisville home.
Now one of the brightest lights in the world has extinguished.
Muhammad Ali passed away last Friday after a long and courageous battle
with Parkinson's disease, and the world has experienced a collective
grief period. The joy of his accomplishments, the recognition of his
commitment to peace, to tolerance, to respect, to love, all of those
things, have come from all over the world.

{time} 1800

So tonight, some of my colleagues and I have come to the floor to
talk about Muhammad Ali, his life, his legacy, personal stories, the
impact that he has had on our lives and on this country's life and on
the world. He will be laid to rest this Friday in Louisville. Former
President Clinton will eulogize him, and many leaders from around the
world will be there to pay their respects.
But I go back many, many years. When I was 16 years old, living in
Louisville, having watched him--then, Cassius Clay, an 8-to-1
underdog--upset the great, terrifying Sonny Liston in Miami, and then
going to the airport the next day to welcome him home.
I stood outside the airport. There weren't a lot of people there that
day. And as Cassius Clay emerged from that terminal and looked around
and drew himself up, I said I had never seen a more beautiful human
specimen in my life.
So when he called himself not just the greatest of all time, but the
prettiest of all time, I was not going to argue with him. Of course, I
wasn't going to argue with him about much.
That was my first personal exposure to Muhammad Ali. He was a man who
gained fame in a violent game, but he earned his immortality as a kind,
gentle, and caring soul. In the later years, when I got to know him
better and spent more time around him, that is the one thing that
always came through: his wonderful soul.
I don't know that I have ever known a person or seen a person who got
more joy out of making a child smile as Muhammad Ali. And there was
never a time when he was in the presence of children where he didn't
make an effort to stop, joke with them, play with them. That was a
source of incredible joy for him.
So, as we remember Muhammad Ali tonight, we remember not just his
boxing prowess. We remember the courage he showed outside the ring.
He came to age in a very, very turbulent period in American history:
during the civil rights demonstrations, when America was experiencing a
convulsion over how to deal with the issue of race. And then the
Vietnam war--a war whose opposition Ali paid a dear price for in 1967--
refusing to be drafted into the armed services, knowing that it would
cost him his boxing career, understanding that he might well go to jail
and never fight again, but willing to stand for principles. And in
doing that, I think he turned the country around and made them view the
Vietnam war in a different light. It wouldn't have happened, but for
Muhammad Ali. He was not the only one, of course, but he was the most
prominent one.
Later, who can forget lighting that torch in the Atlanta Olympics in
1996, shaking from the Parkinson's disease that he had, but inspiring
millions. And, again, making a statement about disabilities that meant
so much to so many.
So tonight, as we hear from various Members about Muhammad Ali, I
think what will come through is not just, again, his skills as an
athlete, but his contributions as a citizen of the world and someone
who has left a lasting legacy, not just on people's lives individually,
but on the civilization as a whole.
I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
Mr. COHEN. I want to thank Mr. Yarmuth for putting together this
hour. I think it is important that we recognize icons in our society
and people who have contributed so much, as you well expressed, to
American culture and to the thinking in our country about war, about
race, and about people with disabilities. Those are three very, very
major areas that Muhammad Ali had a great impact on.
You related back to when you were 16 years old. I was not quite 15
years old. At that time, my family had moved to Coral Gables, Florida.
We lived there

[[Page H3550]]

from 1961 to 1964. During that period, Muhammad Ali's second home was
Miami Beach and the 5th Street Gym.
During that period is when Ali, as Cassius Clay, had won the Olympic
gold medal--and I remember him winning the Olympic gold medal in 1960,
in Rome--and when his professional career started. He probably started
in Louisville, but he was quickly in Miami Beach fighting.
So he was on the news all the time in Miami Beach and on the sports
shows and whatever else, but always on TV and a personality in Miami
Beach.
My granddad gave me $20, which was a lot of money, on February 25,
1964, if I remember--and I went to that fight. I was sitting probably
in the highest seat in the Miami Beach Convention Center and watching
that fighting by myself. My dad wasn't so much into it, but my
grandfather gave me that $20 and I went to it.
I have got my docket. It's a great looking Clay-Liston ticket, in
good shape, and a couple of programs from that event, which I am proud
to have. I have been a fan of his, and I know how much of an impact he
had on our world.
I was also a boxing fan of Floyd Patterson. Floyd Patterson was a
previous champion. The first time that Floyd fought Muhammad Ali, I
have to admit that I was cheering for Floyd. Floyd didn't do too well.
He hurt his back and was taunted by Ali. He wanted him to say his name.
And he punished him pretty good through 12 rounds.
But the second time they fought, which was in the early seventies,
Patterson did a lot better. They stopped the fight at the end of the
sixth or the beginning of the seventh. And it was closer to even. After
the fight, as I understand it, Ali told the referee not to stop the
fight because Patterson is fighting so well and he should be able to
continue fighting and it wasn't fair to stop it.
I saw an interview with then-Cassius Clay with Steve Allen from 1963
that is on the Internet. In that interview, they said something about
Floyd Patterson. First, Clay made a joke and he said that Liston
knocked him out twice in one round. And Floyd's jaw was somewhat
challenged. He said his leg should sue his body for lack of support.
And then he kind of stopped and laughed and chuckled and said: I
shouldn't say that; I like Floyd. Of course, that was before. Floyd
didn't recognize his new name.

Louisville was the home of Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. One of the
great attractions in Louisville is the Muhammad Ali Center, which I
have had the opportunity to visit and go through. You can sit and watch
all of Ali's fights, any one of them. Sit in a chair and push a button
and there it is. And just watch any fight. I watched that second
Patterson-Ali fight. Floyd was doing pretty good through those six
rounds.
It is more than for boxing. It is a center. And it is about what he
did for children and there are a lot of displays about what he did for
children and what he did for peace and his efforts around the world. I
think that is the great thing about Muhammad Ali. They didn't build a
boxing museum. They built a center about all of his desires for freedom
and for helping people around the globe and showing we are all one.
As he said back in I think January of this year, his religion of
Islam was not about San Bernardino and Brussels or Paris or any other
place there have been attacks. Islam was a religion of love, and it
should be that way. And it was not the religion he knew. Anybody who
thought it was that way and wanted to discriminate against people based
on their religion were wrong, because it wasn't that type of religion.
So he was still, up until this year, taking positions of conscience
to try to steer people in the right direction.
I keep under my glass on my office desk a quote from Muhammad Ali. It
is on a postcard that I got at the Muhammad Ali Center. It shows
Muhammad Ali in the ring kind of dancing around. And it says: ``The
fight is won or lost away from witnesses--behind the lines, in the gym,
and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.''
And it made me think about what we do in politics. Our elections are
generally not won--if you are serious about your job and your
constituents--right before elections. It is done during your term of
office and what you do for your constituents and how you vote and what
you do for folks, which is the same thing as a fighter being out there
in the gym and on the road doing roadwork, hitting the bag, and
training.
So Ali is what I look at when I sit down. It is right underneath my
desk. And I see that and he kind of guides me--and he guides
everybody--in that way, if you think about that. That is what life is
about: preparation and having a plan and taking action to implement the
plan.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut
(Mr. Larson).
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. I thank the gentleman from Louisville for
organizing this Special Order this evening.
I can't think of an athlete who more impacted my life and certainly
the lives of people in our generation.
The gentleman from Louisville started in 1960--or maybe it started
when you were 16--but watching then-Cassius Marcellus Clay in the 1960
Olympics in Rome--a legendary Olympics that produced so many highlights
of American athleticism, from Bob Hayes to Rafer Johnson and, of
course, this young, boyish-looking, but eloquent and masterful heavy-
weight that moved like nothing else I had ever seen or would ever see
since.
My father worked three jobs. About the only time he was home on a
Friday night, we would watch the Gillette Sports Hour, which was the
boxing matches that would occur.
My dad loved to follow boxing. He was a big Joe Louis and Rocky
Marciano fan. Of course, my dad's generation, when Cassius Marcellus
Clay came along, were not happy with his poetry and braggadocio manner.
As a kid, we thought it was the coolest thing. And I would always
remind my dad that he never made a boast that his fists couldn't back
up.
And the poetry. He was ahead of his time in terms of rap, but he also
was ahead of his time in terms of what he brought to the sport.
As the distinguished gentleman from Louisville pointed out, when he
stepped into the ring with Sonny Liston, we all feared for his life.
But as it turned out, he had that speed and that endurance and his
incredible skills. He did everything that a boxer shouldn't do, but he
was able to do it because of the exceptional ability.
How do I know this? We are fortunate to have in this Chamber somebody
who was in the ring with Muhammad Ali. He was in the ring with him,
Sonny Liston, and Joe Frazier. Bob Brady of Philadelphia was a sparring
partner and used in the ring.
As you all know, Bob Brady is a pretty big guy. And he also can move.
He maybe doesn't look so nowadays, but he still looks pretty fierce. I
wouldn't want to get in the ring with Bob Brady.
But I asked him once to explain what that might have been like. And
he was dear friends with Joe Frazier. He said: But you wouldn't get in
a ring with Sonny Liston unless you had a lot of people around you. He
said he was the meanest person he ever met or got in the ring with in
his life.
And I said: What about Muhammad Ali? He said: There is nothing like
him. He said he was a freak. I said: What do you mean, a freak? He
said: A freak of nature, because of what he was able to do with his
speed, with his grace, and the simplistic thing of just being able to
move away, from skills that, when you watch these films today, you are
in awe of them.
I can remember coming in and talking about the Ali shuffle when we
saw him do that against Cooper in England. No one had ever seen
anything like that. And when he came back and he got in the ring and he
would dance, you just knew that he was going to win--the confidence
that he always exuded.

{time} 1815

Then, as John Yarmuth pointed out, he became so much bigger than the
sport itself because of his conviction, and he did it during a
tumultuous time.
The sixties will probably go down and forever be remembered as a
great crucible for the history of this country when, converging at the
same time were the civil rights movement, an education movement that
was spawned by the launching of Sputnik, the civil rights movement that
also spawned the antiwar movement, that spawned the

[[Page H3551]]

woman's movement, that spawned the ecological movement--all came about
during this tumultuous time.
And who was one of the leaders? One of the most recognized faces in
America, beyond perhaps John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, was
Muhammad Ali, and he brought so much more because of his conviction.
I remember my experience of meeting him for the first time in East
Hartford, Connecticut, working at Woodland Auto Body, putting tire
black on cars. If you ever had this luxurious duty, you would not
appreciate it.
All of a sudden, this gold Toronado pulled into Woodland Auto Body.
Now, most of the people who worked at Woodland Auto Body were of
African American lineage. I saw this Toronado pull in--and if you know
anything about a Toronado, it has one long window--and when they rolled
down the window, there was Bundini Brown. He said: Do you know how to
get to WINF radio station?
I said: Well, yes, sir. It's just up the street here.
I looked in the back, and there was Muhammad Ali, and I said: The
champ.
I said: Wait right here. And I went inside because I knew my
coworkers, who certainly enjoyed seeing me have to put tire black on
cars--I came running in and I said: Muhammad Ali is out here. The champ
is here.
And they looked at me and said: Yeah, right, and Santa Claus is
coming also.
But they came out. And emerging from this gold Toronado was this
unbelievably gracious human being, of course, at 6 foot 3, certainly
towering above me, and even among some of the brothers who were out
there talking. But we couldn't believe that he was actually there in
our midst.
If you believe there is a certain aura that people have around them,
he had it. He was given a gift, and he used it.
That picture that appeared in The New York Times, with so many
athletes of the period, the legendary Jim Brown and Bill Russell all
sitting at that table, understanding what this youthful but spiritual
individual had done not just for Black America, but what he did for the
world in terms of speaking truth to power.
I will always remember that grace and elegance and rooting for him,
and even being scared to death, in the Rumble in the Jungle, that
George Foreman might do him harm, and said, ``Oh, my God. What is he
doing, hanging on the ropes?'' which later became famous for rope-a-
dope.
But he was the most unique athlete that I have ever observed in my
life. And beyond that unique talent that he brought to the ring, and
those skills that he brought to bear with unprecedented grace and
ability, he also made the world a better place, as the gentleman from
Louisville pointed out, and distinguished himself far beyond what he
accomplished in the ring by his simple pleas to America.
I was so happy to see him, in his later years, atone for some of the
cruel things he had said during his life to Joe Frazier and to other
people and some of the taunts that he did. It just showed the depth and
the character of someone we so admired.
I thank the gentleman so much for allowing me the opportunity to
share that reminiscence about The Greatest.
Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman, and since he referenced the
poetry and the facts that Muhammad Ali is sometimes actually considered
the godfather of rap, I would like to read one thing that he wrote.
This is right after the Olympics in 1960:

To make America the greatest is my goal,
So I beat the Russian and I beat the Pole,
And for the USA won the medal of gold,
Italians said, you're greater than the Cassius of old.
We like your name, we like your game,
So make Rome your home if you will.
I said, I appreciate the hospitality,
But the USA is my country still,
Because they're waiting to welcome me in Louisville.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty).
Mrs. BEATTY. I thank my colleague, Congressman Yarmuth.
Mr. Speaker, to the rest of my colleagues, it is indeed an honor for
me to come tonight to share in the life and the legacy of The Greatest,
of the champ, of Muhammad Ali.
Like my colleagues, I followed his career and was mesmerized by his
wit, his poetry, and, more specifically, his boxing skill.
But for me tonight, it was a special honor when I became a Member of
this United States Congress. It was during the 113th Congress and the
44th Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative
Conference. During that conference, each member of the Congressional
Black Caucus can submit the name of someone they think has made a
difference in the lives of others, whether it was for health care,
whether it was for civil rights, or making a difference through
philanthropy.
As I thought about all of the individuals that I could submit, I was
very proud that I submitted the name Muhammad Ali. It was even a
greater honor when he received the most votes from my colleagues, and
he received one of our Phoenix Awards, named after Ralph Metcalfe.
So when I stood on that stage before thousands and thousands of
individuals, including the President of these United States, President
Barack Obama, and watched the video that his family sent because he
wasn't able to attend that dinner, I sat there, honored and
proud because this Black man made a difference in the lives of so many
young children, so many adults. And today, we come here and we salute
and we honor a great legacy.

So I want to thank you, Congressman Yarmuth, for letting me make this
small contribution.
Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentlewoman.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks).
Mr. MEEKS. I thank the gentleman from Louisville.
Mr. Speaker, when I heard of the greatest of all time's passing, my
heart was filled and heavy because he was very significant in my life.
When you just think of him--and I got to meet him first as a young boy.
I was about 10 years old.
My dad was a professional boxer. He is one of 49, one of 49
individuals to get knocked out by Rocky Marciano. But that also brought
him into the area where he got to know many of the boxers in training,
et cetera. He would train in the same gym in New York where Sugar Ray
Robinson was, and where Bundini and Youngblood were, who were always in
Ali's corner. So I got to see Ali, this Cassius Clay train at an early
age, and fell in love with him immediately.
Number one what you could do when you saw Muhammad Ali, at that time
you saw a young man who was confident. And yes, as I hear my colleagues
talking about his athletic ability and skills, he had all of that.
But what I would like to talk about briefly tonight, what was the
highest of esteem for Muhammad Ali was his brain. There is nothing that
Ali did that he didn't think about. Everything that he did, there was a
reason for it.
When he first saw this wrestler and how people hated him, this George
guy, but he saw how all the people were coming to watch and paying all
of their money because they were talking, he was talking. He said
here's a good way to promote myself and to make sure that he could make
some money, and so he did that.
Then he thought about calling and naming the round that he was
calling people in and all of that. And so he did all of those things,
but there was a reason for it. He was a promoter. He knew what it took.
People at that time, many of them wanted to go see the Louisville Lip
shut up, but each time he would win.
What I just want to say about Ali, though, his brain and his heart,
his brain and his heart. Because throughout my lifetime, I had several
times to be with him and to get to know him a little bit. I will just,
for brevity of time, talk about one real quick.
I can recall I used to drive him at times when he was in New York. So
I would get in the car, and he would get in the car. Of course, he is
the funniest guy in the world. He would be telling jokes and doing
everything else. So we were driving down the street in Brooklyn, New
York. I remember it like it was yesterday. I stopped at a light. All of
a sudden, Muhammad is looking around, and he jumps out of the car. He
jumps. There were some kids on the corner. He jumps out, and he goes
and starts shadowboxing with them. The kids are saying: Oh, the champ,
the champ is here, the champ is here.
He would just talk to them. He was encouraging them to go to school
and

[[Page H3552]]

encouraging them to do good things. I know because when you listened to
all of the stories afterwards, individuals were giving personal
stories. Never would you see an individual as popular and well known as
Ali where an individual could actually talk about a personal story,
because Ali wasn't one that was hidden behind bodyguards or this one or
that one. He was one that always wanted to be the man on the street
involved with people to make a difference in their life. He set an
example for individuals.
So I think of the example, too, because of the size of Ali, I heard
somebody talking about the rumble in the jungle. I used to go up to the
camp and watch them train in Deer Lake. I was there when he was
training for George Foreman. I was there, stayed up there for about a
week. There, again, talk about consciousness, he had these huge rocks,
talking about all of the great African American fighters before him
because he never forgot who he was or where he came from, but he had
these rocks there, and he was in the gym training.
I can remember he would get up on the ropes. He put his hands up, and
Angelo Dundee would say: Get off the ropes, champ. Get off the ropes.
Get off the ropes, champ. You are going to get killed on those ropes.
About the second round of training, he went over, and he said to
Angelo: Shut up. I know what I am doing.
Nobody knew what he was doing, but he knew what he was doing. He
always outthought everyone. He outthought them. That was the key to
this thing, the greatest of all time.
So, Ali, I say this--I say this because I remember you saying this
one time to someone:

If you want some gin, I'll get you in 10.
If you like wine, it will be round number nine.
If you think you're great, you'll fall in eight.
If you want to go to heaven, it will be round number seven.
But if you want to mix, I'll get you in six.
Talk that jive, you'll fall in five.
If you want to go like old Moore, I'll get you in four.
Mess with me, I'll reduce you to three.
If that won't do, you'll fall in two.
If the crowd wants some fun, you'll fall in one.
Why?
Because I float like a butterfly, and I sting like a bee.
That's why nobody mess with Muhammad Ali.

Ali, we love you. We thank you for your contribution not only to
Louisville, not only to the United States of America, not only to
African Americans and to Africa, but to everyplace on this planet. You
are, indeed, God's gift to this great planet. We thank God for your
life and times. You will live on forever as the greatest of all time--
and the prettiest.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Butterfield).
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky
(Mr. Yarmuth) for yielding this evening.
I am absolutely embarrassed to come after my friend, Congressman Greg
Meeks.
Why in the world would the gentleman put me on the schedule to come
to the podium at this very moment?
But I thank the gentleman, in any event, for his friendship, and I
thank the gentleman for his extraordinary leadership. I was in the
gentleman's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, a few weeks ago and
absolutely enjoyed going to church with him and meeting many of his
friends there in Louisville. The gentleman is a great Member of this
body, and I thank the gentleman so very much.
But, Mr. Speaker, I stand with Congressman Meeks and Congressman
Cohen and all of my colleagues today to recognize and to remember a
great American, a true American hero. We honor and we remember this
extraordinary life and the accomplishments and the countless
contributions of Muhammad Ali.
Born just 5 years before me in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius
Marcellus Clay, Jr., was born to Cassius Marcellus Clay and Mrs. Odessa
Lee Grady Clay. Those were his parents. On March 6, 1964, when I was a
junior in high school, after joining the Nation of Islam, Cassius Clay
became known as Muhammad Ali.

{time} 1830

Mr. Cohen, I remember it like it was yesterday.
His interest in boxing began at the age of 12 after he reported a
stolen bicycle to a local police officer named Joe Martin, who was also
a boxing trainer. In 1959, Muhammad Ali was the National Golden Gloves
Light Heavyweight Champion and National Amateur Athletic Union
champion. After winning his first 19 fights--and that was absolutely
incredible, winning his first 19 fights--including 15 knockouts,
Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964, to become the
World Heavyweight Champion.
Muhammad Ali would then become the World Heavyweight Champion in
1964, 1974, and 1978, making him the first fighter to capture the
heavyweight title on three separate occasions. In 1981, Muhammad Ali
retired from professional boxing and dedicated his life to promoting
world peace, fighting for civil rights, hunger relief, and just basic
human values.
His humanitarian work included helping secure the release of 15 U.S.
hostages. Many of my colleagues may have forgotten about that, but
Muhammad Ali helped to release 15 U.S. hostages held in Iraq during the
first Gulf War, four hostages held in Lebanon, and conducted goodwill
missions to Afghanistan and to Cuba. Muhammad Ali even had the distinct
honor of traveling to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela following
President Mandela's release from prison.

Ali received numerous awards in his life following his boxing career,
including being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame,
receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award by ESPN, the Essence Living
Legend Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 by then-
President George W. Bush. The footage of that ceremony has been all
over the news for the last few days, and I would encourage all of my
colleagues to look at it if you haven't. He was given the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 2005 by President George W. Bush and the Otto Hahn
Peace Medal for his work with the U.S. civil rights movement and the
United Nations.
Mr. Speaker, I have used enough time this evening. I will simply
close. I cannot close like my friend, Congressman Greg Meeks, did a
moment ago. That was a masterpiece, and I cannot wait to see the video
of his closing on another day. It was extraordinary.
But I will conclude by saying that Muhammad Ali, the greatest of all
time, was not only a champion in the boxing ring, but a champion of
human rights and civil rights, who, during a difficult time in our
Nation's history, stood on principle to end racism and bigotry in this
country.
Muhammad Ali, we love you. May God bless you, and may God bless your
family.
To the fans of Muhammad Ali all across the world, I thank you for
supporting this great American, and I thank you for allowing us to come
into your homes and be a part of this tribute this evening.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Butterfield).
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush).
Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank both of my colleagues for
allowing me to come before this body to speak on behalf of the people
of the city of Chicago, the people of the First Congressional District.
Mr. Speaker, I must say that although Muhammad Ali was and is a
native of Louisville--that is his birthplace--I must also claim that
Chicago is his adoptive city. He spent many, many years in Chicago. He
bought a home on South Kenwood Avenue in my district.
Mr. Speaker, as a young man, a young civil rights activist myself, I
can't even express the pride that I had when I would travel down the
street and point out to my young sons and anybody else who was with me
that that is where Muhammad Ali lives. He was a man of the
neighborhoods in Chicago. He touched many people--young people, old
people, and people who didn't necessarily share his same political or
religious ideas, but he touched them anyhow.
Mr. Speaker, Muhammad Ali was a man for all seasons. Yes, he achieved
prominence in the boxing arena, in the sweet science of boxing, but he

[[Page H3553]]

achieved greatness because of the life that he led both inside of
boxing and outside of boxing.
Mr. Speaker, on Saturday afternoons, many of us who had few heroes
would gather around television sets and watch Muhammad Ali fight in the
heavyweight division against other fighters and other boxers. One of
his predictions came true when he defeated and knocked out his
opposition in the time that he said he would, and there was a
collective cheer that you could hear throughout the neighborhoods of
Chicago.
He meant something to me. He meant something to others. Muhammad Ali
not only achieved, worked hard, and sacrificed for excellence, but he
also inspired excellence in others.
Muhammad Ali would walk down some of the main thoroughfares in
Chicago: 47th Street, 79th Street, and Madison Avenue. He would walk
down those streets, and the crowds would just gather around him and
follow him. His beam in his eyes, the halo and the charisma that he had
just made for an exciting time, a grand time for all of us.
Mr. Speaker, Muhammad Ali not only was a great boxer, but he was
indeed a man for all times. Look at his following not just in
Louisville, not just on the south and west sides of Chicago, but all
across the Nation, all across the world, foreign countries, African
countries specifically. The same kind of enthusiasm that he inspired,
the same kind of reverence that he inspired to the young men and young
women in Chicago, you could see the same kind of inspiration ran up in
the Congo, in Nigeria, in Zaire, and in other places all across the
world.
Mr. Speaker, when he retired, I remember as a freshman here in
Congress when we had a session and we honored the 50 greatest athletes
of the century. Here were some great athletes, but the one who I wanted
to be with, the one who I was most excited about, the one who I wanted
to be photographed with was only Muhammad Ali. Bart Starr, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, and many, many others were here; but Muhammad Ali was
here, and he kind of sucked the air out of the room.
Later, Mr. Speaker, when I chaired the Annual Legislative Conference,
for the dinner, the gala--I chaired the gala--I was so honored that he
came to me to accept an award from the Congressional Black Caucus with
his lovely wife, Lonnie; another great time, another great memory.
But, Mr. Speaker, the greatest honor, the greatest moment of
inspiration, my most profound memory of Muhammad Ali was when he
refused to go to fight in the Vietnam war. I think, in my humble
opinion, had he just been a great champion--we have had other great
champions who are African American: Jack Johnson, Sugar Ray Robinson,
and many others, many, many others who are great champions. But
Muhammad Ali wasn't just a boxer. He didn't just inspire others to take
up boxing.
I was a political activist in the sixties, and Muhammad Ali spoke to
the quintessential aspect of all my activism when he said: Hell no, I
won't go. Hell no, I won't go. No Vietnamese have ever called me the N
word.
And he said it. I don't want to say it on the floor, but he said it.

{time} 1845

Mr. Speaker, from that moment on, he solidified his appeal, his
essence, his relationships; he solidified himself with all of the
struggling people of the Nation, of the world.
Let me just say this: I thought about Muhammad Ali when I heard of
his death, and I thought of trying to recapture some of my memories of
him--how he walked, his gait, how he talked. I remember his size. I
remember the face that was also a beautiful face. He was proud of how
he looked.
But, Mr. Speaker, I guess what inspired me most about Muhammad Ali
was how he did not surrender his faith, surrender his belief, surrender
his core values to the U.S. Selective Service which drafted him.
Mr. Speaker, I don't remember the names of the men who were on that
Selective Service committee. I don't remember anything about them. They
thought that they were destroying The People's Champion, but they could
not destroy The People's Champion. He rose even above all of those
people who were officially appointed to bring him down. Nobody could
knock out Muhammad Ali, in a real sense.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms.
Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for
yielding, and I thank all of my friends.
We are friends when we come to celebrate someone as potent and
powerful and, certainly, symbolic. But we should really recognize that
The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, who had many homes--many of us can claim
having had the privilege of him walking through many of our streets--
was a husband, father, grandfather, and son to all of his family
members that loved him.
Today I offer my deepest sympathy to his beautiful wife who worked so
hard to create the Muhammad Ali Center, all of his children who gained
his magnificent talents in many different forms and capacities, to be
able to now not only suffer this loss, but mourn someone who probably
in their life created such a space for so many years.
I rise today to join in celebrating--for that is what I would like to
do--The People's Champion. He was truly the voice of a generation,
advocating for the ending of inequality regarding African Americans,
but as well, I believe he stood for opposing injustices all around the
world.
The three-time world heavyweight boxing champion helped define the
turbulent times in which he reigned as the most charismatic and
controversial sports figure of the 20th century. We all know that he
was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.
Over the past 30 years, he had his own boxing battle. I believe that
time after time he knocked out Parkinson's disease because he lived
with it, he let others know that they could live with it, and he worked
every day to support the advocacy groups who were trying to battle
Parkinson's.
I am reminded of a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and
being crowned the World Heavyweight Champion so many times. As I had
watched him over these past years, the admiration and affection and
respect grew much more looking at him as the iconic figure, the real
spirit of can-do, the best of America, a man whose faith was very
special to him, so much so that he was a conscience objective which was
not understood. That Selective Service committee was right in Houston,
Texas. He walked those streets, his case was tried there, and victory
came because he refused to yield on his principles.
As one of his noteworthy opponents, Floyd Patterson, told author
David Remnick some years ago: ``I came to see that I was a fighter and
he was history.''
Ali traded banter with United States presidents and world leaders
alike, verbally sparring with musical greats--The Beatles--and shaking
hands with Mother Teresa.
His greatest triumph lies in his legacy as a champion, leader, social
activist, and humanitarian, but also a mentor by distance of so many
boys and girls, particularly our young men.
In my own hometown, a young boxer by the name of Eric Carr, first met
him with one of our great sports figures, Lloyd Wells, down at the
Hyatt Regency. He said that when the champ met him, the champ treated
him like a longtime friend. He played around with him, maybe boxed with
him. I may be adding something to it. But Eric Carr, as the day went
on--it was in the boxing beginnings of his life--told him he wanted to
be a champ just like him. Eric Carr went on to win boxing
championships, but he will always remember how real Muhammad Ali was.
Let me say that as he fought for the future, he envisioned that we
all would enjoy. I love to hear the bantering because it was wisdom of
a philosopher.
His greatest triumph, as I indicated, was a humanitarian. At the apex
of his career, lauded for his unparalleled physique and mesmerizing
moves--I wish I could do a few of those right now--but he is more than
a sum total of his athletic gifts.
His agile mind, buoyant personality, brash self-confidence, wouldn't
you love him?
I often remember some of those words that he said:

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit
what his eyes can't see.

[[Page H3554]]

Now you see, now you don't. George thinks he will, but
I know he won't.
Don't count the days; make the days count.
I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I can't possibly be beat.

But then he said:

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on
Earth.

And so his inspiration continues.
I would often say that as he lived his life, we took joy.
As I close, Mr. Speaker, let me offer you these words, and let me
thank him for the life that he has lived. Let me borrow from
Shakespeare and say of Muhammad Ali:

He was a man. Take him for all in all. We shall not look
upon his like again.

May The Greatest rest in peace.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding to me. I still see
that ``float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.''
Muhammad Ali, again, rest in peace.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of boxing legend
and social activist Mr. Muhammad Ali, whose words floated like a
butterfly and punches stung like a bee, who died Friday at the age of
74.
The people's champion, was truly the voice of a generation,
advocating for the African Americans battling racial inequality.
The three-time world heavyweight boxing champion helped define the
turbulent times in which he reigned as the most charismatic and
controversial sports figure of the 20th century.
The man who would come to be known as the ``Greatest of All Time,''
was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942 in Louisville,
Kentucky.
Despite baffling Parkinson's disease for 30 years Muhammad Ali would
live a full and consequential life, winning the Gold Medal at the 1960
Olympic Games in Rome and being crowned the world Heavyweight champion
an unsurpassed three times.
As one of his noteworthy opponents, Floyd Patterson, told author
David Remnick some years ago, ``I came to see that I was a fighter,
while he was history.''
Ali traded banter with United States presidents and world leaders
alike, verbally sparring with musical greats the Beatles, shaking hands
with Mother Teresa.
His greatest triumph lies in his legacy as a champion, leader, social
activist and humanitarian.
At the apex of his career, lauded for his unparalleled physique and
mesmerizing moves.
He carried into the ring a physically lyrical, unorthodox boxing
style fusing speed, agility and power more seamlessly than any boxer
before him or since.
But, he was more than the sum total of his athletic gifts; he was a
man of uncompromising principles.
His agile mind, buoyant personality, brash self-confidence and
evolving set of personal convictions fostered a magnetism that the ring
alone could not contain.
A masterful entertainer, Ali captivated audiences as much with his
mouth as with his fists, narrating his life with a patter of inventive
doggerel.
He was targeted by his country when, in 1966, he exercised his First
Amendment right voicing political dissension and concern for
humanitarian observation.
Ali was a purposeful fighter, and even more so, a principled human
being, once reminding us all that he would, ``Fight for the prestige,
not for [himself], but to uplift [his] little brothers who are sleeping
on concrete floors today in America . . . living on welfare, . . . who
can't eat, . . . who don't [have] knowledge of themselves, . . . [and
cannot see a] future.''
Ali fought for the future he envisioned and that we all enjoy today.
As a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, he refused to be
inducted into drafting leading him to be banned from the sport he loved
at the height of his career.
His inspiring courage and anti-war stance helped spearhead the
growing anti-war movement of the 1960s.
The press called him the Louisville Lip. He called himself the
Greatest.
Ali was the most important political-cultural figure to survive the
deadly tumult of the 1960s and flourish during the 1970s.
Ali reawakened the American consciousness stating, ``Champions are
made from something they have deep inside them--a desire, a dream, a
vision.''
He eventually retired for good in 1981 and after being diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease in 1984 as the only fighter to be heavyweight
champion three times.
In 2005 Muhammad Ali was presented with the Presidential Medal of
Freedom by President George W. Bush.
Ali received the President's Award from the NAACP soon after Obama's
inauguration in 2009.
In 1996, he was trembling and nearly mute as he lit the Olympic
caldron in Atlanta, but his smile induced a thunderous roar in what was
one of the most celebrated Olympics moments ever.
His post-boxing humanitarian endeavors include putting his name to
many initiatives for peace and humanitarian aid as well as anonymous
donations of millions of dollars to a variety of individuals and
organizations surpassing race and class barriers.
Despite battling with Parkinson's disease for three decades, he has
inspired millions of people.
His work as a humanitarian has been immortalized in the Muhammad Ali
Centre.
Explaining his resolve later in life, Ali said that, ``All my life,
growing up as a little boy, I always said that if I got famous I'd do
things for my people that other people wouldn't do.''
``I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was
given,'' he said.
He was truly a legend--a statesman of the people.
Muhammad Ali was a product of America but a citizen of the world, at
first hated and misunderstood but eventually beloved for the way he
carried himself in dignified decline.
He will remain one of the most well-known and respected sports
figures of all time--may his legacy be revered.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me borrow from Shakespeare and say of
the Muhammad Ali:
``He was a man.
Take him for all in all.
We shall not look upon his like again.''
May the ``The Greatest'' rest in peace.

The Sayings of Muhammad Ali--The Greatest of All Time

Muhammad Ali, considered to be the greatest heavyweight
boxer, died June 3, 2016 in a Phoenix-area hospital.
He was 74 years old.
Here is a list of some of his best quotes (in no particular
order):
1. ``Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands
can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you
don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't.''
2. ``Service to others is the rent you pay for your room
here on earth.''
3. ``I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I can't possibly be
beat.''
4. ``Don't count the days; make the days count.''
5. ``If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe
it--then I can achieve it.'' Jesse Jackson said this as early
as 1983, according to the Associated Press, and Ali used it
in his 2004 book.
6. ``It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.''
7. ``It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you
out; it's the pebble in your shoe.''
8. ``If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up
and apologize.''
9. ``Braggin' is when a person says something and can't do
it. I do what I say.''
10. ``I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I
was.''
11. ``Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated
can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the
extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is
even.''
12. ``I'm so mean, I make medicine sick.''
13. ``I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll
ever get licked.''
14.``Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small
men who find it easier to live in the world they've been
given than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not
a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential.
Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.''
15. ``He who is not courageous enough to take risks will
accomplish nothing in life.''
16. ``A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at
20 has wasted 30 years of his life.''
17. ``If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they
can sure make something out of you.''
18. ``I shook up the world. Me! Whee!''
19. ``I hated every minute of training, but I said, `Don't
quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a
champion.' ''
20. ``At home I am a nice guy: but I don't want the world
to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far.''
21. ``A man who has no imagination has no wings.''
22. ``He's (Sonny Liston) too ugly to be the world champ.
The world champ should be pretty like me!''
23. ``I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey
were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own.''
24. ``I've wrestled with alligators. I've tussled with a
whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in
jail.''
25. ``Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it
doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain
wrong.''
26. ``It's not bragging if you can back it up.''
27. ``I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived
cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were
around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about
them.''
28. ``It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound
the sand. I beat people up.''
29. ``I'm not the greatest, I'm the double greatest.''
30. ``Live everyday as if it were your last because someday
you're going to be right.''

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.
I yield once again to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

[[Page H3555]]

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, there is so much that has been said
appropriately about Muhammad Ali that people in this era might not
realize that when he was fighting, all of America really looked forward
to his fights and watched them. The eyes of the Nation were glued to
the television to see him fight and to see afterwards Howard Cosell
speaking the sports talk to him and reviewing those fights.
He was a lot about Louisville. There is a street in Louisville named
after him, Muhammad Ali Boulevard, and the Muhammad Ali Center.
Nobody carries on and will carry on Muhammad Ali's love of Louisville
more than you, Mr. Yarmuth. I appreciate you having this hour. He was
to Louisville in such a great way, and he was a great man to America. I
thank you for putting this hour together.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine
Waters).
Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Yarmuth for
hosting this hour.
Muhammad Ali was a good friend. He was someone that I had known that
I had worked on some projects with. But more than that, my husband was
one of those athletes. My husband was then the linebacker for the
Cleveland Browns when Bill Russell and my husband, Sidney Williams, and
Jim Brown all got together to support Muhammad Ali when, of course, he
was not allowed to be a conscientious objector and was threatened with
prison.
I got to know him sometime after that. We used his home for a very
special event. I got to know his former wife, Veronica, and his
children. One of his children worked in one of my programs.
This comes at a very difficult time for all of us. I loved him
because he had courage. He had the courage to give up his career, had
the courage to threaten to be imprisoned, and had the courage to fight.
The Nation of Islam stood with him, and these athletes all stood with
him. He was a great man. When he said he was The Greatest, he really
was, because he was an unusual extraordinaire.
I will be at the funeral on Friday. I will be there with the family
and the rest of the athletes that are still living that are going to be
there to honor him.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.
I yield again to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for a
quick comment.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Mr. Yarmuth and say that I
couldn't leave the mic without acknowledging that George Foreman is in
Houston, and Evander Holyfield, only to say that the people that he
fought became his dear friends. I know they would want me to say that.
Thank you so very much for allowing us to pay tribute to The
Greatest.
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, as we wrap up this tribute to the life of
Muhammad Ali, I just want to express what I know all of my colleagues
would feel, and that is our outpouring of love and support for Lonnie,
his wife of 25 years, his many children, and his extended family.
Lonnie's love and dedication inspired and energized Ali, even when his
body was failing him. I know that the hearts of this body as well as
the world go out to her and the rest of Muhammad Ali's family.
May he rest in peace. I thank him on behalf of everyone for his great
contributions to humanity.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a man who was a
three-time heavyweight champion of the world, a victor at the Supreme
Court of the United States, and one of the most remarkable men of the
20th Century--a man who truly earned his title: The Greatest.
Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville,
Kentucky on January, 17, 1942. By age 18, he was the Light Heavyweight
Gold Medalist at the 1960 Olympics. In 1964, he won the heavyweight
world title. He would go on to hold that title--off-and-on--for another
15 years.
But Muhammad Ali was not merely one of the greatest fighters in
history--he was also a champion of justice in a country struggling to
find its way. Like Detroit's own great champion, Joe Louis, he was a
lightning rod for controversy. His success angered those who disagreed
with the simple principle that a person's worth was never lessened by
the color of their skin. He showed courage when he stood up for civil
rights at a time when it was dangerous to do so. He never backed down,
never allowed his voice to be silenced because of his faith or his
race. He was an example for countless men, women, and children who
needed one.
Beyond his work in the ring and as part of the civil rights movement,
Muhammad Ali was also an advocate for peace. He grew into his faith in
a way that shows that Islam is a religion of peace and America is a
place of tolerance when--at great personal cost--he spoke out against
the Vietnam War. As a conscientious objector, he was stripped of his
title and unable to fight for three years during his prime.
Convicted of refusing to report for military service, he appealed to
the United States Supreme Court, where he won a unanimous (8-0) opinion
reversing his conviction.
A champion boxer, a champion for civil rights, and a champion of
peace--it is not possible to overstate Muhammad Ali's achievements. He
was quite simply, The Greatest.
We will mourn his memory going forward, and we will remember him for
his work. Most of all, we will continue to draw strength and
inspiration from a man who knew the true meaning of being a Champion.

____________________