Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! The second person of our Black History Month series in none other than Muhammad Ali. Many people remember his 88% jab conversion rate or his ability to predict the round he’d knock out his opponent, however, we want to recognize him for his stance against the Vietnam War. 

“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America,” he said. “And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger, they never lynched me, they didn’t put no dogs on me, they didn’t rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. … Shoot them for what? How can I shoot them poor people?"

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He paid the price for refusing to serve. Convicted of violating selective service laws and sentenced to five years in prison, he was free on bail. But his passport had been taken away, along with his ability to make a living. For his sacrifice, we salute the late-great-Muhammad Ali!