Muhammad Ali: A World Man

Muhammad Ali: A World Man

The Champ counterpunches in a letter to The Nation.

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The Champ counterpunches in a letter to The Nation.

New York City

If I was doing my act I would say that I deserve all those marvelous things you said about me in your editorial (“Muhammad Ali for Congress,” The Nation, July 22-29). But seriously I am extremely flattered by your appraisal of me. You sure done your homework and covered all the bases. It ain’t often that I am quoted so accurately. But to get down to the nubbin, I ain’t interested in politics. I mean like running for office. I’m a world man. My fellow man is not just an American and my race is the human race. I’m shook UP when I see a child that is going hungry or a mother who is without medical attention. These are the things I’m interested in. And of course peace. Peace for all men and all nations at all times.

Muhammad Ali

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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