- Written by
- Ali, Muhammad, American, 1942 - 2016
- Owned by
- Ali, Khalilah, American, born 1950
- Subject of
- Muhammad Speaks, American, founded 1962
- Unidentified Man or Men
- Date
- ca. 1968
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (2018.75a): 8 11/16 × 8 9/16 in. (22 × 21.7 cm)
- H x W (2018.75b): 11 × 8 9/16 in. (28 × 21.7 cm)
- Caption
- In this letter, Muhammad Ali explains to then-wife Khalilah Camacho-Ali why he converted from Christianity to Islam. Ali publically converted to Islam in 1964.
- Description
- A letter written by Muhammad Ali to his wife, Khalilah Camacho-Ali. The letter is two pages in length and is written in cursive, in blue ink, on two (2) sheets of partially torn, unlined, white paper. The first page (2018.75a) describes a night in Louisville, Kentucky where he encountered a man selling the newspaper of the Nationa of Islam, Muhammad Speaks. He noted that it was the first time he had heard of the paper. The second page (2018.75b) continues from page one and goes on to say that the newspaper seller invited him to a meeting, and though he did not intend to go to the meeting, he did purchase a copy of Muhammad Speaks. The rest of page 2 describes a cartoon in the paper that depicted an enslaved person being punished for praying in Arabic and a white slave owner insisting that the enslaved person prays to Jesus. The back of both pages are blank.
- Place depicted
- Louisville, Kentucky, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Documents and Manuscripts
- Type
- letters (correspondence)
- Topic
- Activism
- Black Press
- Boxing
- Communication
- Identity
- Islam
- Religion
- Slavery
- Sports
- Violence
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jonathan Eig and Khalilah Camacho Ali
- Object number
- 2018.75ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Estate of Muhammad Ali
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




