solidarity among brothers
On this date in 1967, leading Black athletes gathered to hear Muhammad Ali's reasons for rejecting the United States military draft.
Muhammad Ali was among the first Black people to refuse to fight in the Vietnam War. This incident occurred at a meeting of the Negro Industrial and Economic Union to hear Ali's wisdom on rejecting the Vietnam War draft. These fellow men and athletes endorsed and supported Ali's decision, rallying 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.
The Encyclopedia of African American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
