"Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change." - Muhammad Ali
--- "Sunny" <ambon@...> wrote: > http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=7&id=31057 > > > Muhammad Ali to receive Liberty Medal > > 13/09/2012 > PHILADELPHIA (AP) â" Retired boxing great Muhammad Ali will visit > Philadelphia to > receive the Liberty Medal, an award recognizing his longtime role as a > fighter outside > the ring for humanitarian causes, civil rights and religious freedom. > > The honor will be presented on Thursday during a ceremony at the National > Constitution Center by the champ's daughter, who is also a boxer, and two > U.S. > Olympic athletes. It comes with a $100,000 (â¬77,500) cash prize. > > "Ali embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal by embracing the ideals of the > Constitution â" freedom, self-governance, equality and empowerment â" and > helping to spread them across the globe," former President Bill Clinton, the > center's > chairman, said in a statement. > > Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has traveled extensively on > international > charitable missions and devoted his time to philanthropy and social causes. > > His wife Lonnie is slated to speak on his behalf at the ceremony. A 30-year > battle with > Parkinson's disease has devastated the once-chiseled physique that made Ali > an > Olympic champion and three-time heavyweight title holder. > > Ali's daughter Laila will join Claressa Shields and Susan Francia in > bestowing the > Liberty Medal. Last month, the 17-year-old Shields became the first U.S. > woman to > win Olympic gold in boxing. Francia is a two-time rowing gold medalist from > nearby > Abington, Pa. > > Ali was born Cassius Clay but changed his name after converting to Islam in > the 1960s. > He refused to serve in the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs and > was > stripped of his heavyweight crown in 1967. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling later > cleared > him of a draft-evasion conviction; he regained the boxing title in 1974 and > again > 1978. > > Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom â" the nation's highest > civilian honor > â" in 2005. He has also established the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research > Center in > Phoenix and a namesake educational and cultural institute in his hometown of > Louisville, Kentucky. > > The National Constitution Center, which opened in 2003, is dedicated to > increasing > public understanding of the Constitution and the ideas and values it > represents. It > awards the Liberty Medal annually to an individual who displays courage and > conviction while striving to secure freedom for people around the world. > > Previous recipients include rock singer and human rights activist Bono, > former South > African President Nelson Mandela and former President Jimmy Carter. Six > winners > later received the Nobel Peace Prize. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
