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June 6

solidarity among brothers
On this date in 1967, leading Black athletes gathered to hear Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) give his reasons for rejecting the United States military draft.

Muhammad Ali was among the first African Americans to refuse to fight in the Vietnam War. This incident took place at a meeting of the Negro Industrial and Economic Union to hear Ali's wisdom for rejecting the Vietnam War draft. These fellow men, and athletes, endorsed and supported Ali's decision and rallied to his defense.

Front row: (shown) Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Back row: (not shown) Carl Stokes, Walter Beach, Bobby Mitchell, Sid Williams, Curtis McClinton, Willie Davis, Jim Shorter, and John Wooten.

Reference:
The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
 

    

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