Rep. Meeks Statement on Passing of Friend and Legend, Muhammad Ali

Rep. Meeks Statement on Passing of Friend and Legend, Muhammad Ali

New York, NY—U.S. Congressman Gregory W. Meeks released the following statement regarding the passing of personal friend and role model, boxing great Muhammad Ali:

"Today my heart is filled with sorrow but also overflowing with joy, for I’ve shared many memories with the undisputed Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali. Ali was influential in the lives of so many people, and he had a personal and profound impact on mine.

"As a young man growing up in New York, I had the opportunity to meet Muhammad Ali, to drive him around, to eat with him, to take pictures of and with him, and to share thoughts and hold conversations with him. We were all impressed by his greatness as an athlete, but, to me, he was an even greater humanitarian and an even more impressive person. Ali wasn’t a perfect man; but he was a caring man, a confident man, a courageous man, and an amazing man. He wasn’t a man who just talked the talk, but he led by example and truly walked the walk.

"Even in the last thirty years during his long bout with Parkinson’s disease, he fought tirelessly and admirably and showed the rest of us that if you’ve got the courage and the tenacity, you can keep fighting.

"As we reflect on his life and his legacy, we thank God for gracing us with Muhammad Ali. May God bless his soul.”