MUHAMMAD ALI MEMORIAL SERVICE AND TRIBUTE

The Nation of Islam, the Pan-African Coalition of Organizations (PACO), and other members of the Pan-Africanist community of Barbados will be staging a memorial and thanksgiving service for the late great Muhammad Ali at the Clement Payne Cultural Centre on Wednesday 8th June 2016, commencing at 7PM.

In one of Eddie Grant’s most outstanding hit songs, he gave us the most succinct and accurate description of Muhammad Ali when he simply stated— "He is an African King!"

And so indeed he was! If the late Malcolm X was— in the words of Ossie Davis– "our shining black prince", then Muhammad Ali was truly "our shining black African King!"

Muhammad Ali was self-consciously a representative and champion of the black and African people of the world. Indeed, when, in 1974— with the mass support of the people of Zaire– Muhammad Ali recovered the heavyweight world championship title from George Foreman, he publicly rededicated himself to spending the rest of his life fighting for the liberation of oppressed black or African people all over the world.

Of course this was not a new commitment on Ali’s part, since he had been fighting against the forces of "white supremacy" in the United States of America (USA) from as far back as 1960– the year he won the Olympics gold medal in Boxing for the USA, and returned home to a social reality of anti-black discrimination and racism.

Indeed, Ali’s lifelong fight for black dignity and freedom can be perceived in his rejection of what he considered to be his "slave name" of Cassius Clay; in his deep friendship with Malcolm X and his membership of the Nation of Islam; in his refusal to be drafted into the imperialistic American army; in his determination not to allow the forces of "white supremacy" to use him to "drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam"; and in his willingness to sacrifice his career as a world champion boxer and his personal freedom in defense of his black liberation principles.

The great black freedom fighter that was (and is) Muhammad Ali rightfully occupies a place of honour in an exalted pantheon of African-American heroes of the Civil Rights era that includes such luminous personalities as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, Angela Davis, Carlos Cooks, Fred Hampton, Fannie Lou Hamer, Huey Newton, James Meredith, and Shirley Chisholm.

The Pan-African community of Barbados invites all conscious brothers and sisters to join with us on Wednesday night at the Clement Payne Cultural Centre to pay tribute to this great ‘African King'.

DAVID COMISSIONG

PRESIDENT

CLEMENT PAYNE MOVEMENT

CNIDOH/AO