The Civil Rights era was greatly impacted by Muhammad Ali’s resistance to westernized European social norms and protest against racial prejudice in the mid-1900s. Ali undergoes a series of changes of his identity and asserts himself as Muslim activist, using his athletic background as the foundation of his platform. Ali utilized the media to gain public attention about his political views and manipulated the media to gain support in the anti-war efforts promoted by Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. This topic is historically relevant because it explains the impact of religion in social and political protest lead by African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. It is also relevant because it offers an explanation of the protest of current African American athletes like Colin Kaepernick in the height of the Black Lives Matter Movement. My research will dissect the tactics Ali used to signify himself as a political activst and how these same traits can be found in athletes of the present. It is also historically significant because it adds to the body of knowledge concerning how the Nation of Islam was a positive source of influence to motivate political, economic, and religious change in the Black community.
