Blood Brothers: Malcolm X And Muhammad Ali: 6 Things We Learned From The Netflix Documentary

Cassius Clay’s Experience At The 1960 Rome Olympics Opened His Eyes To The World

In the summer of 1960, an 18-year-old Cassius Clay (before adopting the name Muhammad Ali) traveled to Rome, Italy, to participate in the Summer Olympics. At one point, Johnny Smith, co-author of the Blood Brothers book that inspired the Netflix documentary, said Clay could not be more proud to represent America at this time in his life. But, after winning Olympic gold and experiencing life in a country that didn’t have any of the racist Jim Crow laws found in America, Clay came back to America and had one of the most humiliating experiences of his life.

Upon returning to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius (wearing his Olympic jacket and gold medal) went to a diner and the man behind the counter looked at him and said “We don’t serve your kind, boy.” Feeling humiliated by the experience, Clay ripped off his medal and threw it in the Ohio River, rejecting America in the process.

Article source: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2573358/blood-brothers-malcolm-x-and-muhammad-ali-things-we-learned-from-the-netflix-documentary