[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8373]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              MUHAMMAD ALI

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, last week, the world lost a champion. Muhammad 
Ali was a gold medalist boxer and a three-time heavyweight champ, but 
what truly made him ``The Greatest'' was what he did outside of the 
ring.
  He had quick reflexes but a quicker wit. He was introduced to the 
world as a fighter, but he chose to hang up his gloves to stand up 
against the war. At a time when racism pushed so many people down, 
Muhammad Ali had the audacity to speak up--and people listened.
  I was lucky to have met Muhammad Ali several times. He spent much of 
his time in Los Angeles, and he became close with my dad, L.A. County 
Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. They were allies in the fight for civil rights 
and for struggling families.
  I have a Muhammad Ali story.
  In 1987, my dad suffered a debilitating stroke that left him 
partially paralyzed shortly before he was up for reelection to his 10th 
term. Muhammad Ali actually showed up at my parents' home in South Los 
Angeles one day, and he told my father that he would personally push 
him door-to-door in his wheelchair if that is what it took to get him 
reelected.
  You can imagine what that meant to my dad, to me, and to all of the 
neighborhood kids who actually saw Muhammad Ali do that with my dad. I 
will never forget that moment, and the world will never forget Muhammad 
Ali.

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