REINTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO AWARD THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO HUMANITARIAN AND SPORTING LEGEND MUHAMMAD ALI; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 37
(Extensions of Remarks - February 25, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E206]
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
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, as we celebrate 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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