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Muhammad Ali's death Friday at 74 is one of those universal impact moments in our "global village." It evokes memories and touches virtually every adult across geographic, gender, race and political lines.
You needn't be a boxing fan to feel connected to Ali, and the vast majority of those posting online admiration today likely never saw a bout in person.
Word that he's gone takes us back to a decidedly different time in our country and in many people's lives, as reflected in sentiments filling social media and publications' sites. These are among Detroit-area voices:
► 'It was magical:' When I saw Ali on television one day and he said, "I ain’t got nothing against no Viet Cong,” I was convinced all over again that he was wise. The adults all had really complicated explanations for why we were fighting and so many people were dying. Ali made it plain.
I was crushed when they took away his heavyweight championship, especially because adults told me his career was over. It was all so sad, so confusing and so upsetting. I was 10. When I was 14, Ali came back. It was magical. -- Gregg Krupa, The Detroit News
► 'That's his legacy:' He was branded a traitor, a coward, a revolutionary. Only because he was doing something different, something unfamiliar. And it scared people. Nearly 50 years later, how much has really changed in regards to fears that Muslims are somehow not like the rest of us? . . .
Ali never sacrificed his sense of right and wrong. That’s his legacy. -- Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press
► 'You sure are pretty:' Ali risked his whole career, all of his rich possibilities, to uphold a principle and be his black self. And then showed us how to rise after falling, how to keep coming back and back and back. . . .The last time I saw Ali he was attending a fund-raising event to purchase a headstone for singer Jackie Wilson's grave. Parkinson's disease had stolen most of his voice, but he signaled me to lean over so he could whisper something. "You sure are pretty," he said. -- Betty DeRamus, Detroit author and former journalist
► Question for Trump: Would the greatest athlete in the world -- the beautiful human that is/was Muhammad Ali. Black & Muslim -- not be allowed in your version of America, Donald? -- jessica care moore, Detroit poet
► 'Glorious:' God, he was glorious. I lost all respect for one of my editors when, after the 1996 Olympic opening ceremonies, he sneered that the IOC chose a draft dodger for the important role of torch lighter. . . . The editor served during the Vietnam era. In Germany. -- Nancy Nall Derringer, Grosse Pointe Woods journalist
► 'Quintessential athlete:' We have lost the quintessential athlete of the 20th Century, a man who, in every way, was an original. -- Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press
► 'A true neighbor:' He and his wife bought a house in tiny Berrien Springs on the St. Joseph River in 1975, the corner of Michigan where I grew up. . . . So many people had a story of the kindness of Muhammad Ali and Lonnie. They supported the parks and sports facilities of rural schools. They secretly donated shoes, prom tickets, calculators and athletic warm-up clothes to small-town kids. . . .
And frankly, just having the kind of nobility Muhammad Ali embodied in our midst raised everyone's spirits. Serving him an ice cream cone: amazing. When they had to leave in 2007 for the desert air for his health, they were mourned. . . . To those of us from Southwest Michigan: our hero, and a true neighbor." -- Anna Clark, Detroit journalist and author
In the '60s, a kid was blessed to follow the Liston-Ali duels. In the '70s, Ali-Frazier. You were for one or the other. Me: Ali. Always Ali.
— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) June 4, 2016
Muhammad Ali didn't transcend race.
— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) June 4, 2016
He was Black. Powerful. Confident.
He was everything that hateful people feared.
He was the Greatest.
