Laying the Foundation for Change: Muhammad Ali & the Civil Rights Movement
Photograph and caption courtesy of the Courier-Journal, May 4, 1967
Martin Luther King, Jr., in Louisville
Dr. Martin Luther King was no stranger to Muhammad Ali's home state and city. His presence was most heavily felt in Louisville's South End and the state capital of Frankfort. Ali and Dr. King’s paths would notably cross during a 1967 fair-housing rally that took place during the Kentucky Derby that year. In 1967, a group of Louisvillians protesting for racially fair housing were threatened and then confronted by members of the National Guard and the Ku Klux Klan. In response, the NAACP called for a boycott of the Derby. In support, Dr. King staged a march in downtown Louisville where he was joined by Muhammad Ali. At this time, Ali publicly stated to Dr. King, "In your struggle for justice, freedom, and equality, I am with you."
