After almost a full century, when Muhannad Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay to the next, he was not hailed for his courage or love for his country at that moment. He openly protested the draft over the Vietnam War and felt he was not ready to kill Vietnamese or even fight for a country that rarely acknowledged the existence of his culture. He felt that African Americans in the United States were "barely appreciated." ” and he didn't see the point of fighting for the country if they didn't even fight for him, let alone value him. He said and I quote, “Why would they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on black people in Vietnam while so-called niggers in Louisville are treated like dogs? If I thought war would bring freedom and equality to twenty-two million people, they wouldn't need to enlist me. I would join tomorrow. But I have to obey the laws of the land or the laws of Allah. I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs. We have been in prison for four hundred years." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Several years later he was in Houston, Texas, standing in line with several other very terrified men, who were also told they were being drafted and refused to respond to anyone who called him Cassius Clay. At this point his boxing titles were stripped and his boxing license in the city where he lived was suspended. At the time he didn't know what other options he had for his life, he was only 25 years old at the time, April 28, 1967, when this happened. Ali was very rarely praised in his time. He was often marginalized by sportswriters and editors. One Sports Illustrated writer even went so far as to call him a demagogue and an “apologist” for his “so-called religion and his views on Vietnam not even worth refutation.” The same writer David Susskind went on to say that Ali was a disgrace to our country and that Muhammad was a fool and a “pawn.” Many people thought he was selfish, making money off the American public watching his fights but couldn't fight for that same country? But if you think about it, Ali was a perfect person to look up to at that time. He was never violent with his protests. He never shouted at them from the rooftops. He said what he felt and was demonized for it. He just wanted people to see him as something other than a cash cow and another body of a black man who would later be killed in the same war that many of his friends died in, in the future. At one point in Cleveland, Ohio, other black athletes and activists gathered at the supreme court to show their support for Ali when he rejected the draft. This came to be called the Cleveland Summit and took place in 1967 on June 4th. Jim Brown presided over the meeting among the other athletes and they all protested by keeping calm and fighting for what they thought was the right thing to do: not draft Ali. After Ali changed his name and converted to the Nation of Islam, you might even say he was hated by black Americans almost as much as white Americans, so for all these wonderful African American athletes who came together to fight him it was a world-changing feat . Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay. I feel like even though Ali wasn't strong with his opinion and wasn't exaggerating, I think he still made his point. He eventually got his titles back and was able to box without turbulence. After all these.