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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Proud To Have Worn A Muhammad Ali T-Shirt In Wello's Woolworths by John Tognolini

 

It needs to be said. One must challenge racism. And this is one I’m going to air from my past. A number of years ago when I was living out in the Bush at Wello, Wellington near Dubbo in New South’s Wales Central West, over 400 kilometres north west of Sydney. I was wearing a Muhammad Ali t-shirt that I bought in a sports shop in Dubbo. I was shopping in Woolworths and this old farmer I knew well started abusing me.

His was full of hate and bitterness and he said in a venomous voice, ‘What are you doing wearing Cassius Clay for? He repeated it a number of times loudly. Everyone in the supermarket was looking at him. All of us were stunned by his hate.

I didn’t reply because I thought what’s the point. He’s a bitter man not worth the time. However, apart from his bigotry I was taken back by him saying Cassius Clay and not Muhammad Ali, the name my hero from when I was kid took when the champion. adopted the Muslim faith.

I only found out the answer recently. When I came across Henry Rollins, the American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor and comedian, spoke about his father’s racism. He said how his father refused to call him Muhammad Ali the name of his choice. His father would make the point of only calling him Cassius Clay and nothing else. Rollins’s father would have been the same age as that Wello farmer.

There are those words from Muhammad Ali that will outlive the hate merchants and bigots.

“I would like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times.

Who was humorous and who treated everyone right.

As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could.

As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what.

As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.

And if all that's too much, then I guess I’d settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people.

And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.”

~ Muhammad Ali

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