We celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday this year, 2022, and a resolution of Muhammad Ali Day. Illinois is the first to pass a Muhammad Ali Day Resolution to commemorate this January 17. This year it is an extra special day as we recognized two GOATS in a single day.
These men were great in very different ways as we celebrate their lives. Martin Luther King, Jr was one of the greatest orators this country has known as he spoke words of wisdom, love, and justice. He was a community organizer, organizing city by city, church by church. His words were measured, focused, and determined, as he inspired and directed to objection to America’s racism and treatment of Black America as second-class citizens. King was a southerner, a Baptist preacher.
Without sufficient staff, King developed The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, stating he once said that he needed young unafraid wild horses that he could tame and direct.
King’s “I Have A Dream” speech is most remembered and has rung worldwide.
King recited this speech at The March on Washington held in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. It is insulting that with that speech, all you remember is the dream. The address was profound. It’s about practices and inequity that America bestowed upon its Black citizens. Dr. King addressed America’s constitutional racism confronted the powers to bring change.
If you read the speech, please reread it. It’s not about a dream but a nightmare. King possessed a great philosophical attitude. The young minister was ready to build his congregation when the Montgomery Bus Boycott came about because a Black lady, Rosa Parks, chose to sit on the front of the bus. He rose to the occasion with protest and boycott that propelled him to national attention. The Black press wrote the story.
Eventually, mainstream media witnessed and covered this young new Black preacher. They did not see his greatness at first, but they saw his determination to address racism and change the system. I talked to a young minister, and as I heard him searching for himself, his direction, and his mission, I reminded him that he had only two more years. He said, what? I told him, you are 37 years old, and Dr. King died at 39. What are you waiting for? He was stunned into a realization that he had not pondered. The thing to do now with Dr. King is to read his books, his speeches as he centers himself in a Christian non for violent way. King always uplifted and inspired, and his methods and life should be taught in every school. He should be known for the challenge and change he brought to America for the world to see. Most of all was a minister. He transformed the country.
Muhammad Ali rose to greatness as a Black man in America. But, his road was quite different, if not the total opposite of Dr. King’s. And he, too, used his voice to speak about his “greatness.”
He was a young boxer with a spirit beyond control. He danced in the ring. Like the Pied Piper walking the streets, he attracted men, women, and children from all walks of life. He was a jokester and often performed magic tricks for the kids. So naturally, they wanted to see him and be with him.
He was a precious fighter, and he challenged the system. Handsome, bodacious, and possessing superior boxing skills, Ali’s fancy footwork was fast and slick. He pivoted around his opponents the way heavyweight fighters were not supposed to. Ali looked like a Greek god with his beautiful body.
Out of the ring, Ali rose to a greater power when he said, “I will not go fight in the Vietnam War because they never did anything to me.” He was clear that the enemy for him and his people was the American White Man, not the Vietnamese.
He paid the price for his beliefs and was stripped of his boxing title and license due to his refusal to be drafted to army service. He was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
He stood his ground and rose to new heights, becoming a popular speaker at colleges across the United States. But, he was right at the end of the day. He was stripped of his title, but not his dignity and manhood. He stood firm and tall. Often he was alone.
Ali’s mentor, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, advised him to travel the world and be received well. A unique human being, the world loved him.
With his life on full display, he remained humble. He loved children and could often be found playing with them on a school’s playground. You saw him in the bars on 79th street on the South Side of Chicago, drinking his orange juice telling jokes.
He was disciplined and focused as a boxer. He studied the fighters before him to develop himself and perfect his craft. He hated racism and rose above it as he fought in and outside the ring. He was a boxer and transformed respect for a Black man. He changed the world of sports.
And then there is Mr. Sidney Poitier. Always the perfect gentleman, the perfect actor. In a word, he was regal and elegant. A charmer, Poitier chose his roles very carefully to project the right image of a Black man. He knew his movies mattered.
His career started in New York at sixteen years old. Looking to become an actor, he often worked as a dishwasher. He auditioned for the American Negro Theatre and failed because his accent was too thick and his ability to read the script fluently.
He said, “I will be the janitor for no pay, just to be in the theater.” One day his lifelong friend, Mr. Harry Belafonte, was a no-show, and Mr. Poitier stepped in. A star was in the making.
Poitier was the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for “Lilies of the Field,” playing a handyman helping a group of German-speaking nuns build a chapel. The roles/movies he chose defined him as he presented a new generation to the changing face of the Black American male. He helped to destroy a stereotype, and he opened the doors for others. Sidney fought hard and was tough, persistent, patient, and no-nonsense. He gave us all a new part to play.
In his private life, he championed the civil rights movement, participating with Mr. Belafonte at all levels. His voice was powerful. He was not a showboat. He was quiet.
In 2005, Sidney Poitier came to Chicago for Father Michael Pfleger‘s lecture series at St. Sabina Church. It was a celebration of King Day. The audience outgrew the church, and as Father and I were talking; he said the church is not big enough for Poitier. So I called Rev. Johnnie Colemon of Christ Universal Temple and asked if the event could be moved to her church. She said, are you kidding? She had open arms. The event grew and grew and grew. I became the Event Planner.
Oprah Winfrey called and asked to participate She wanted to introduce Mr. Poitier. Oprah’s private plane landed at Midway Airport during a cold wintry blizzard and traffic was horrific. She called saying, “I won’t make it in time.” Johnnie took the phone and said, stop speaking negatively, ” You will make it.” I asked Oprah her exact whereabouts, then I called the police to say we have a show with Mr. Sidney Poitier, and Oprah is stuck at the airport and I need an escort. They complied and blue lighted her with police cars to the venue. Meanwhile, Poitier was backstage taking pictures, telling jokes, and having a jolly time as the women swooned and the men stared. He met each person with a beautiful grace and talked as if they were the only ones in the room.
We had a very special surprise for Mr. Poitier. I took the family of Mrs. Frances Lindo to greet him. Mrs. Lindo and Poitier knew each other from their native home in the Bahamas. He was so delighted to be reunited.
Showtime, Oprah finally arrived, and we had to start. Oprah and I went into the lady’s room to powder our noses and the show began. I grabbed her by the hand, saying follow me and I will put you center stage. Backstage was dark. She said okay. Waiting for the right moment to enter, she said, I have to tell you something “You are going to fall in love with Poitier. He is magic.”
Poitier came on stage with perfect timing, right on cue, and began to talk about Dr. Martin Luther King. Oprah and I sat together, in the audience like little girls. The room became silent and went dead silent, transfixed by his voice, and his stories. He had the audience spellbound. It is one of the most powerful moments I have ever witnessed.
When he was done, Oprah, leaned over to me and asked, “Are you in love yet?” I nodded. The evening ended never to be forgotten. Poitier had it like that. He transformed the image of Black men and he transformed Hollywood.
All of these men measured greatness uniquely in their very own way. Their voices, careers, and lives lifted Black people universally. They were humble, purposeful, and perfected in their crafts.
Dr. King, Mr. Ali, and Mr. Poitier were truly transformers living in the same era. We applaud their lives.
