Back in the late ’70s I was working as a part-time hotel switchboard operator and sometime event photographer. One day I was called to take pictures of a new guest of the hotel, a personal hero of mine, Muhammad Ali. He had a large suite and there were all kinds of things going on all around. Different little groups of people were in each part of the rooms working on different projects and bits of business. Ali towered over all, walking purposefully from group to group, talking, making decisions. He commanded the room. Everyone wanted him and he gave himself to all but he was in charge. I’ve never seen any one command a room with such presence.
I was a terrible photographer and my job was to capture hotel management glad-handing the Champ which I did, as you can see here.
But the thing that stands out to me is how this man stood up for what he believed, spoke truth to power, suffered the consequences and overcame, helped transform the discussion of race in this country and yet all the personal stories I’ve heard over the years are about how he helped or cheered or loved ordinary every day people he came across, about all his charitable work. That’s an awesome combination: Unrelenting warrior for justice and champion of love, sympathy and peace.
Curious to see what other photos you took of this. Great stuff as usual.
A lot of pictures of various hotel bigwigs shaking hands with the Greatest… mostly pretty boring and not terribly good technically. There is one of Ali grabbing one of the women and embracing her but my angle wasn’t great so the photo’s not that interesting (even for the woman whose picture it is since you can’t see her face and it could almost be anyone).