I Don't Call Myself A Political Figure

Even Today, If My Title Hadn't Been Given Back To Me And I Was In Such Poverty Where I Had To Go And Find A Job, I Would Have Done That.

For The Black Man To Come Out Superior Would Be Against America's Teachings. I Have Been So Great In Boxing They Had To Create An Image Like Rocky, A White Image On The Screen, To Counteract My Image In The Ring. America Has To Have Its White Images, No Matter Where It Gets Them. Jesus, Wonder Woman, Tarzan And Rocky.

I Came Back To Louisville After The Olympics With My Shiny Gold Medal. Went Into A Luncheonette Where Black Folks Couldn't Eat. Thought I'd Put Them On The Spot. I Sat Down And Asked For A Meal. The Olympic Champion Wearing His Gold Medal. They Said, "we Don't Serve Niggers Here." I Said, "that's Okay, I Don't Eat 'em." But They Put Me Out In The Street. So I Went Down To The River, The Ohio River, And Threw My Gold Medal In It.

I Barely Got Out Of School, I Got Out Of School, Mainly, Because I Was A Champ, And I Actually Didn't Pass. I Won't Name The Teachers That Put Me Through, But I Want. If I Was Not A Muslim, Or A Follower Of The Honorable Elijah Mohammed I Couldn't Talk To Somebody For Two Minutes. I Believe I Can Hold My Own As An Intelligent Conversation, But It All Come From The Honorable Elijah Mohammed.

I Believe In Allah And In Peace. I Don't Try To Move Into White Neighborhoods... I Don’t Want To Marry A White Woman. I Was Baptized When I Was 12, But I Didn’t Know What I Was Doing. I’m Not A Christian Anymore. I Know Where I’m Going And I Know The Truth And I Don’t Have To Be What You Want Me To Be. I’m Free To Be What I Want.