I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4590
To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf of Congress
to Muhammad Ali in recognition of his contributions to the Nation.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 25, 2002
Ms. CARSON of Indiana (for herself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr.
BISHOP, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. BROWN of
Florida, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CLAY, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. CLYBURN,
Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. FATTAH, Mr.
FORD, Mr. FROST, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HILL-
IARD, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. JEFFER-
SON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms.
KILPATRICK, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. LANTOS, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEWIS of Cali-
fornia, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr.
MARKEY, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Mr.
MEEKS of New York, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. MOLLOHAN, Mr.
NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. RAN-
GEL, Mr. REYES, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUSH,
Mr. SABO, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. SERRANO,
Ms. SOLIS, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. TOWNS,
Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. UNDERWOOD, Ms. WATERS, Ms. WATSON of Cali-
fornia, Mr. WATT of North Carolina, and Mr. WYNN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
A BILL
To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf
of Congress to Muhammad Ali in recognition of his con-
tributions to the Nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., on Janu-
ary 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Muhammad
Ali was the first child of Cassius and Odessa Clay.
(2) Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest box-
ers and most inspiring athletes of the 20th century.
(3) After an impressive amateur career, on
February 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali (known then as
Cassius Clay), at the age of 22, shocked the world
by defeating the reigning Heavyweight Champion of
the World, Sonny Liston. After his victory, Muham-
mad Ali announced his conversion to the religion of
Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
(4) Muhammad Ali defeated every challenger he
faced in the ring, but on April 28, 1967, he was
stripped of his title as Heavyweight Champion of the
World and deprived of his ability to practice the
trade of boxing for refusing induction into the
United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam
conflict because of his religious and moral beliefs.
(5) As an African American living in an era
that continued to question his rights as a person,
Muhammad Ali faced and battled issues of race and
class, and deserves recognition as one of the cham-
pions of the civil rights movement.
(6) Muhammad Ali is the recipient of many
awards and accolades for his sporting prowess and
for his efforts on behalf of racial harmony, including
the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Award, the
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award, a
place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Essence Living
Legend Award, a Rainbow Coalition Lifetime
Achievement Award, and recognition as the Boxer of
the Century by the World Sports Awards of the Cen-
tury.
(7) During his career, and since his retirement
on December 11, 1981, Muhammad Ali has dedi-
cated his life to the cause of universal human rights
and embodies the love of humanity and freedom.
(8) Despite having been diagnosed with Parkin-
son’s disease in 1993, Muhammad Ali has continued
to devote his life to charity organizations, including
Jubilee 2000, an organization that campaigns for
the cancellation of Third World debt.
(9) Muhammad Ali has transcended the glam-
our and glory of being a sports champion to become
not only one of the greatest sports figures, but one
of the greatest human beings, to have ever lived.