When Muhammad Ali met Malcolm X and Sam Cooke after beating Sonny Liston - "Jim Brown! What's happening?"
The recent passing of Jim Brown, alongside luminaries like Muhammad Ali, signifies their departure from the mortal world. Beyond their remarkable achievements as sports stars, both were actively involved in the civil rights movement, which significantly contributed to making the world a better place for all of us.
One notable occasion where these two legends crossed paths was on February 25, 1964, in Miami—a time of great turmoil for the nation. On that day, Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, accomplished one of the greatest upsets in sporting history by defeating Sonny Liston.
Sitting ringside were three other giants: civil rights leader Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke, and football player Jim Brown. They were there to cheer the boxer on as he made history.
Jim Brown had planned a grand celebration after the fight, telling radio listeners that that plan was scuppered when Clay said to him,
“No, Jim. There’s this little black hotel. Let’s go over there. I want to talk to you.”
The place that they chose was Hampton House. They chose a segregated black hotel over somewhere else. Not everything that was discussed was documented but Jim Brown did reminisce about how Muhammad Ali used to call him,
"Jim Brown, what's happening?"
What unfolded that night was truly momentous. The very next morning, Cassius Clay, the world champion in boxing, decided he was going to renounce his slave name and join the Nation of Islam. He told assembled reporters,
"I don't have to be what you want me to be."
Eventually, he changed his name to Cassius X and, shortly after, adopted the legendary name Muhammad Ali, by which he would be known for the rest of his life. Two days later, Malcolm X also distanced himself from the Nation of Islam.
The significance of that day cannot be overstated.It occurred a year prior to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 and during a period characterized by widespread segregation. Yet, it was also a time of awakening consciousness. These four black men were grappling with their own sense of identity and purpose.
In the aftermath of that meeting, Malcolm X embarked on a pilgrimage to Mecca, while Muhammad Ali made multiple trips to Africa. Sam Cooke found renewed energy for his activism, and Jim Brown would leave the NFL the following year, despite being at the pinnacle of his athletic career.
Tragedy would soon follow too. In December of that year, Sam Cooke was shot dead in a Los Angeles hotel. Two months after that, Malcolm X would perish, assassinated by people affiliated to the Nation of Islam.
Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali's sojourn becomes a lesson for history
Due to the consequential nature of the meeting, the day lives on in the history of the United States of America. Cleveland Browns and the NFL were there when their former player visited the Hampton Hotel and the room again after all these years, now transformed into a cultural center. It stands as a testament to the remarkable progress America has made from its dark past.
It was also the basis for Regina King's directorial debut: "One Night in Miami...". It documented the events of that time, including the various challenges and approaches the men took to the momentous task at hand of gaining civil rights for all people in the country.
There have been many important milestones in the history of the United States of America. But in terms of how a single get-together changed the course of personal lives of historic figures, few can come close to its impact.