[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 1, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  AWARDING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO HUMANITARIAN AND SPORTING 
                          LEGEND MUHAMMAD ALI

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2017

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, as we begin Black History Month, 
I am proud to reintroduce legislation to award the Congressional Gold 
Medal to Muhammad Ali in recognition of his contributions to our 
nation. I believe it is long past time to recognize an American civil 
rights activist and sporting legend with Congress' highest honor. 
Unfortunately, Congress failed to act before The Champ's death last 
summer, at the age 74, so I ask my colleagues to join me now in 
honoring an American hero. Over the course of his illustrious career, 
Muhammad Ali produced some of our nation's most lasting sports 
memories. From winning a Gold Medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics, to 
lighting the Olympic torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics, his influence 
as an athlete and a humanitarian spanned over fifty years.
  Despite having been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the 1980s, 
Ali devoted his life to charitable organizations. Ali, and his wife 
Lonnie, were founding directors of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center 
and Movement Disorders Clinic in Phoenix, AZ and helped raise over $50 
million for Parkinson's research. In addition to helping families cope 
with illness, Ali led efforts to provide meals for the hungry and 
helped countless organizations such as the Make-A-Wish-Foundation and 
the Special Olympics.
  Muhammad Ali's humanitarian efforts went beyond his charitable 
activities in the United States. In 1990 Muhammad Ali traveled to the 
Middle East to seek the release of American and British hostages that 
were being held as human shields in the first Gulf War. After his 
intervention, 15 hostages were freed. Thanks to his devotion to 
diplomatic causes and racial harmony, Ali was the recipient of many 
accolades, including being chosen as a ``U.N. Messenger of Peace'' in 
1998 and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 from 
President Bush.
  Through his unyielding dedication to his sport and to struggling 
populations around the world, Muhammad Ali still serves an example of 
service and self-sacrifice for generations of Americans. The 
Congressional Gold Medal is a fitting commemoration of his life and 
work, for which he is deservingly known as ``the Greatest.''
  Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing one of 
our nation's most lasting and influential figures by signing on to this 
important legislation.

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