January 17 – International Mentoring Day

nPosted on January 17, 2019

Key points

nToday is Muhammad Ali’s birthday.
n
n
n

nAli’s birth name was Cassius Clay. He changed his name after he won the heavyweight championship of the world in boxing; the new name showed his pride in his African roots.
n
nAli’s nickname was “The Greatest.” He was a legend in the boxing world, and he is also still seen (more than two years after his death) as one of the most important sports figures of the 20th Century.
n
nAli was also an activist. He stood up for his own rights – taking his case for not being drafted into the Vietnam War all
nthe way up to the Supreme Court. (Before his final victory, Ali had been arrested, tried and found guilty for draft evasion, and stripped of all his boxing titles.) He also stood up for other people – Native Americans, refugees, victims of famine and disease, Palestinians.
n
n
n
n

n
n
nSome of his activism could be better called philanthropy. Ali is considered a humanitarian because he did things like persuading the U.S. government to help Rwandan refugees, testifying before Congress about the need for funding to combat Parkinson’s disease, going on diplomatic missions to Africa, and participating in events to rally support for Palestinians.
n
n
n

nMuhammad Ali was apparently also a good mentor. A mentor is someone who guides and supports a young person or a less experienced person. Usually mentors help others with a particular trade, sport, skill, or career, but some focus on what might be called “life skills.”
n
n
n