LOOKING BACK on the 1960s, Canada’s lone black Anglican prelate, Rt Rev. Peter Fenty thinks immediately of Muhammad Ali and the move towards independence in Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean.
Now, as billions of people in every corner of the globe mourn the loss of the three-time world heavyweight boxing champion who died on June 3 in Arizona and was buried in his Louisville, Kentucky birthplace on Friday, Fenty reflects on the lessons of Ali’s life, especially his strong stance for his faith.
Ali’s refusal to be drafted into the United States Army at the height of his boxing career and with the Vietnam War in full blast meant a willingness to forego making millions of dollars from boxing.
His messages and lessons to people everywhere were as relevant today as they were century earlier.
“Back then I was in Barbados and Ali was being ridiculed by people (in the US), quite a lot of folks who wanted to know why if others had to be drafted what made him different,” the Barbadian cleric recalled. “But he believed strongly that it was not the right thing to do and he really spoke powerfully about how we stand by our convictions even in the case of strong opposition from the majority. In that sense, I think Ali showed he was willing to stand for what was right. It sent a message about standing for the beliefs we have. He did that with a clear understanding that he was putting at risk his professional boxing career.”
Bishop Fenty, who is revered in and out of Canada and Barbados for his integrity and firm adherence to Christian principles, said Ali’s attitude had a profound international impact.
“Back then a revolution was taking place as countries in the Caribbean and elsewhere were moving onto sovereignty (Barbados among them) but he wasn’t going to be deterred by criticism,” said the prelate. “The relevance of his message today is that it is important for us to stand by our convictions, what informs the values we hold on a number of issues and the way we see ourselves in society. At some time we may have to stand alone for our convictions and not be influenced by a majority perspective. Ali will go down as a man who was not going to allow his professional career to get into the way of his values, principles and beliefs.”
Tony Marshall, Barbados’ ambassador to the UN, shares the bishop’s assessment of Ali saying he too admired the late champion for his willingness to stick to what he believed in. As Barbados’ top diplomat at the world body saw it, Ali’s courage earned him the respect of people in countries represented at the UN.
Winston Lewis, a Bajan businessman and restaurateur in Brooklyn, said the lesson he learned from the “champ’s” life was one of independence and of decision-making.
“You know before Ali I didn’t like boxing. But he showed me what it meant to be independent and how to make decisions and stand by them,” asserted Lewis, the owner of Culpepper’s restaurant in Brooklyn.
Dr Donna Hunte-Cox, Barbados’ consul general in New York, said Ali’s intelligence, perceptions and his stance as a leader made him an international role model.
“Because he was such an outstanding leader, people listened to him and it brought a lot of change to the world,” she said.
Dr O’Neal Parris, president of the Barbados Cancer Association of America and a driving force behind plans to build and operate Barbados’ first hospice, said Ali’s “talent” in and out of the ring and his “tenacity” earned him the respect, admiration and affection of people everywhere.
“Ali could go anyplace in the world and people would recognise him. That showed the measure of the man,” said Parris, a paediatrician.
Tony Best is THE NATION’s North American Correspondent. Email: [email protected]
