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This is a poignant way to honor the legacy of “The Greatest.”
After legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali died Friday night, CrowdRise launched a fundraiser in his name. All donations will support the Muhammad Ali Center, a museum dedicated to maintaining the boxer's legacy by promoting community service and social justice.
Ali is not just celebrated for his achievements in sports: He's known for his radical political stances, his fierce defense of racial justice, as well as his humanitarianism.
In 1998, the three-time World Heavyweight Champion was named a U.N. Messenger of Peace in recognition of his humanitarian efforts, including bringing food and medical supplies to hospitals and orphanages in Africa and Asia, according to the UN.
In 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with then-President George W. Bush calling him “a fighter and a man of peace.” He opened the Muhammad Ali Center that same year with some inspiring words
“I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given...I believed in myself and I believe in the goodness of others.' Ali said, according to the Austin Times. 'Many fans wanted to build a museum to acknowledge my achievements. I wanted more than a building to house my memorabilia. I wanted a place that would inspire people to be the best that they could be at whatever they chose to do, and to encourage them to be respectful of one another.”
It seems that he achieved his vision:
The Center hosts educational programs, like the Youth Collaborative, which has students explore issues of poverty and how to tackle them with business ideas.
It houses cultural events, like the Black Film Festival in February, which screens iconic movies from Black cinema, followed by conversations on social justice.
Finally, the Center gives out an annual
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Wellesley College on Monday released audio and photos from Hillary Clinton's (then Hillary Rodham) 1969 commencement address, which thrust her into the national spotlight for the first time, but certainly not the last.
Clinton's speech made news in part because she chided Senator Edward Brooke, who was sharing the dais with her. A liberal Republican, Brooke was the first popularly elected black senator and enjoyed wide popularity with Democrats and Republicans alike in Massachusetts, where Wellesley is located. He gave the keynote speech moments before Clinton spoke.
But Brooke was a supporter of President Richard Nixon's policies in Vietnam, and Clinton took advantage of the high-profile occasion to offer a gentle rebuke.
'I find myself reacting just briefly to some of the things that Senator Brooke said. This has to be quick because I do have a little speech to give. Part of the problem with just empathy with professed goals is that empathy doesn't do us anything,' Clinton said. 'We've had lots of empathy; we've had lots of sympathy, but we feel that for too long our leaders have viewed politics as the art of the possible. And the challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible possible.'
The speech became part of a Life magazine cover story on 'The Class of '69,' which included other prominent campus speakers, including Ira Magaziner from Brown University, who went on to become a top Clinton adviser.
On the campaign trail, Clinton has had to grapple with the insurgent, idealistic campaign of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has accused Clinton of thinking only within the realm of possibility.
The release comes as Clinton and Sanders head into the last big primary day of the election cycle. On June 7, six states, including delegate-rich California and New Jersey, will vote. If Clinton manages to increase her delegate lead, which she's done in every primary so far, she stands a good chance of clinching the nomination before the party's convention.
Clinton attended Wellesley from 1965 to 1969. She was the first student to give a commencement speech at Wellesley, chosen unanimously by her classmates. One of the classmates she thanked personally was Eleanor Acheson, who remains a close friend of Clinton's and the granddaughter of one of Clinton's predecessors, the late Secretary of State Dean Acheson.
The newly discovered audio recording and photos were discovered at Wellesley College.
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