Louisville renames airport after native son Muhammad Ali
Officials announced Wednesday that the Louisville International Airport will be renamed for Muhammad Ali, who was born and buried in the Kentucky city.
The decision arrived via a unanimous vote of the Louisville Airport Authority with one board member abstaining, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Board members had been mulling the proposal since 2017.
Before the renaming, the airport was simply known as Louisville International Airport.
Mayor touts ‘legacy of humanitarianism’
Louisville mayor Greg Fischer, who proposed the motion, applauded the decision.
“Muhammad Ali belonged to the world, but he only had one hometown, and fortunately, that is our great city of Louisville,” Fischer said. “Muhammad became one of the most well-known people to ever walk the Earth and has left a legacy of humanitarianism and athleticism that has inspired billions of people.”
Ali died in 2016 at 74 years old. He had a 56-5 record as a boxer, including three stints as the world heavyweight champion. He also won the light heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympics.
Ali was as well-known for his activism and protests outside the ring as he was for his accolades and outsized personality as a boxer.
Once reviled, Ali died a hero
After changing his name to from Cassius Clay to Ali with Malcolm X sitting by his side and conscientiously objecting to participating in the Vietnam War, he was largely reviled by a significant portion of the U.S. population, similar to the wrath delivered to Colin Kaepernick today.
His decision cost him his world championship in 1967.
But as public sentiment changed, history recognized Ali for the great social leader that he was. That an American city is enthusiastically renaming its airport after Ali is a testament to the impact he had not only as an athlete, but a social justice champion who changed the way Americans think about issues.
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