[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 37 (Friday, February 26, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REINTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO AWARD THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO 
             HUMANITARIAN AND SPORTING LEGEND MUHAMMAD ALI

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                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 26, 2021

  Mr. CARSON. Madam Speaker, as we mark 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 in 2016, 
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 travelled 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.''
  Madam 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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