John Yarmuth: “One of the great joys of representing Louisville in the House of Representatives is that I get to constantly claim that…”

“One of the great joys of representing Louisville in the House of Representatives is that I get to constantly claim that I represent Muhammad Ali and the home of Muhammad Ali. It has always been a source of pride not just to me, but to all of my fellow Louisvillians that we could say that the Louisville Lip, the greatest of all time, called Louisville home. Now one of the brightest lights in the world has extinguished. Muhammad Ali passed away last Friday after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson's disease, and the world has experienced a collective grief period. The joy of his accomplishments, the recognition of his commitment to peace, to tolerance, to respect, to love, all of those things, have come from all over the world. {time} 1800 So tonight, some of my colleagues and I have come to the floor to talk about Muhammad Ali, his life, his legacy, personal stories, the impact that he has had on our lives and on this country's life and on the world. He will be laid to rest this Friday in Louisville. Former President Clinton will eulogize him, and many leaders from around the world will be there to pay their respects. But I go back many, many years. When I was 16 years old, living in Louisville, having watched him--then, Cassius Clay, an 8-to-1 underdog--upset the great, terrifying Sonny Liston in Miami, and then going to the airport the next day to welcome him home. I stood outside the airport. There weren't a lot of people there that day.…”