op-ed: to the greatest ali: maybe in some way i can still be like you

This year we had to say our final goodbye to the GOAT Muhammad Ali. Not only was he a great boxer but he was an incredible and very articulate activist. He stood up for the rights of black people, his religion, and anything else he felt was right. He was never afraid to be outspoken. The death of this legend hit me very hard and I’ll tell you why.

By Jasmin Pierre*, AFROPUNK contributor

This year we had to say our final goodbye to the GOAT Muhammad Ali. Not only was he a great boxer but he was an incredible and very articulate activist. He stood up for the rights of black people, his religion, and anything else he felt was right. He was never afraid to be outspoken. The death of this legend hit me very hard and I’ll tell you why.

I am from New Orleans, Louisiana. However for 12 years of my life I was raised in Louisville, Ky. The ville   as I call it is my mom’s hometown and also the home of the greatest. Living in the ville for a good part of my life exposed me to great stories and triumphs of Ali.

I never really watched boxing but the stories my mom would tell me about Ali really caught my attention at an early age. I remember the first story she told me at eight years old. The story of how he won an Olympic gold medal and threw it into the Ohio river. Of course my young mind inquired to know

“Why would he do such a thing?”

When my mother told me how he came back to Louisville as a Olympic champion and he still couldn’t eat in the same restaurant as white people he realized the medal meant nothing. He was still not considered an equal so he threw it in the river. My mom also told me stories about how he went to central high school and how she wished she could have attended but my grandparents wouldn’t let her. She also told me about his early days as a boxer when he was still called Cassius Clay.

I grew up always being fascinated with the champ. His courage, strength, perseverance, and “I’m The Greatest” attitude.
I was quite the opposite of him growing up. I was quiet, shy, and reserved. I didn’t like for my voice to be heard.

In the fifth grade I actually got to breathe in the same air as him. There was a big celebration ceremony in downtown Louisville. Certain kids were allowed to attend and my teacher chose me to go because of my good behavior. I remember chanting his name along with the other kids and how after the event was over I got to reach out and touch him. A moment I’ve never forgotten. When I turned fourteen I decided that I wanted to attend central high school. Just like the champ.

I remember seeing his championship display every morning and walking the very same halls he once walked. I always felt proud. I moved back to New Orleans after high school. However even in my late twenties I still have so much love and admiration for the champ.

The day Ali died I happened to be in Louisville visiting for a week. My old high school put together a memorial walk from our school to the muhammad Ali center in downtown Louisville. Of course I was in attendance. I remember one of our former classmates saying

“The death of the greatest has made central graduates loads a lot heavier. We have to carry on his legacy. We have to make a difference”

The words were so true. However I was thinking to myself

“How the hell can I do that? That’s a lot to live up too”

I’m no heavy weight boxing champion. I am outspoken nowdays but not on his level of outspoken I thought to myself.

I’m a mental health activist and a self help book author. I talk about depression and suicide. How can I live up to the greatest when I’m the exact opposite of who he was? We really never had anything in common except going to the same high school.

All of that went through my mind during the week of Ali’s final goodbye. On my final day in Louisville (which happened to be the day of his funeral) someone posted a clip of the champ that dated all the way back to 1981. It was a story I’d never even knew about him. The clip was of Ali saving a man who was about to jump off a ledge and commit suicide.

Many already tried to talk the man down but had given up all hope.
Ali happened to be in the area and volunteered to run on the scene and talk him down. The man listened to the champ and he lived. As I watched the clip I was Immediately moved to tears. all these years and I NEVER knew the champ and I actually had something important in common.  The strength and compassion to help another going through mental Illness.

I have only been an activist for about a year and a half. I’ve talked to people who have felt on edge and suicidal. I know what it feels like to want to die and be severely depressed. So when I recovered I decided I wanted to help others recover too. So seeing this extreme act of kindness from the champ made me realize something important.

I will never be just like him BUT as a Central high school Graduate and lifelong admirer I can still carry on his legacy in some way. Ali saved a man from taking his life. I promise to keep that part of him alive. I will continue to care about the mental health of others. I will continue to be outspoken that mental health is important and suicide is real.  I will always love Ali. I also thank him for showing me that in some way I can still be the great too.

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*Jasmin Pierre is a 27-year-old mental health activist and author of the new self help book “A Fight Worth Finishing”. She is from New Orleans, Louisiana. Jasmin is constantly fighting for the rights of those suffering from major depressive disorder. She inspires to become a life coach and continue writing to encourage others to never give up. You can find her on her public figure/advocate page “A Fight Worth Finishing” on Facebook.