Write about an African American who has inspired you

Name
Instructor
Institution
Date
My African American Mentor
Muhammad Ali, arguably one of the most outstanding and celebrated sports athletes of the 20th century has been an inspiration to my life. Muhammad Ali once said that impossible is just but a big word that small people who are in their comfort zone in life throw around rather than explore the power that they have been given to change the world. This point of view changed my life completely. I used to get easily discouraged when I was still young when it came to matters education, as I could not score the kind of grades that I wanted at that time. This perspective changed my point of view, regarding life completely.
Muhammad Ali used to get bullied when he was still very young (Hauser, 1). His bike got stolen when he was at the age of eleven, and this was the turning point in his life. He expressed his bitterness to the late Joe Martin, a part-time trainer and told him that he would whip the person who had stolen his bike if he caught him. That experience made him learn the art of boxing, so that he could not be bullied anymore. Ali was passionate about boxing and kept going to the gym, committed to better himself. He then went on to become one of the greatest boxers in the world. These actions inspired me to the point that I had to follow my passion of wanting to lead that I finally got into the student council.
Muhammad Ali has contributed significantly to society. He was on the forefront in the fight against inequality and racial discrimination.

He declined to join the United States Army to fight in the Vietnam War as he felt that the war was unfair to the Vietnamese people. Ali has been a brand ambassador and has featured in over ten films as the subject. He has made significant contributions to the entertainment industry, by producing a spoken word record on Colombia, “I am the greatest.” Ali supported world peace; he met with Saddam Hussein in 1990 during the gulf war to negotiate for the release of American hostages (1). Ali also built the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville Kentucky, his hometown to inspire people and teach them to be respectful to each other. Indeed, Muhammad Ali has been a great inspiration (Hauser, 1).

Works cited
Hauser, Thomas. Muhammad Ali: His life and times. Simon and Schuster, 1992:1.