Muhammad Ali was a man who meant so much to so many people.
Ali, who died Friday, leaves behind a legacy that will forever influence those who admired him, especially young black boys who look to Ali as a hero and an example of black excellence and achievement in America.
This is why the Because Of Them campaign, a platform that features and shares inspiring messages from black youth about black icons, created a video featuring black boys wearing boxing gloves and reciting some of Ali's most powerful quotes, including this one (which Obama also mentioned in his remembrance of Ali):
“I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me – black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.”
Watch these young men flex their greatness as they pay tribute to a man who stood as a symbol of activism, bravery and success. After all, this is why representation matters.
