“The Greatest” Belongs in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda

Please sign the petition below to remove the statue of Jefferson Davis currently in Kentucky’s Capitol Rotunda, and replace it with a tribute to Muhammad Ali, “the Louisville Lip” and “the Greatest of All Time.”

(If you need some convincing, read this piece, this piece and this piece from Kentucky Sports Radio.)

UPDATE (Monday, December 1, 2014 at 12:01 PM)

I just heard from the Ali family: It is the Champ’s belief that Islam prohibits three-dimensional representations of living Muslims. Accordingly, I have adjusted the petition to call for a two-dimensional representation of Ali (a portrait, picture or mural) in lieu of a statue.

UPDATE (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)

In this interview with WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold, Governor Steve Beshear endorses the idea of honoring Muhammad Ali in the State Capitol (although he disagrees with removing Davis).  Arnold explores the idea further on his weekly show, “The Powers that Be.”

Click here to check out WDRB-TV’s Lawrence Smith’s coverage of the story.

And here’s my op-ed in Ali’s hometown paper, the Louisville Courier-Journal.

UPDATE (Saturday, June 4, 2016)

In the wake of the 2015 Charlestown tragedy, in which a Confederate flag-waving murderer united the nation against racism, all of the most powerful Kentucky policymakers — U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Governor Matt Bevin, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo — called for the removal of the Davis statue from the Rotunda. Today, as we commemorate last night’s passing of Muhammad Ali, there is no better moment to replace the symbol of Kentucky’s worst era with a tribute to The Greatest of All Time.

UPDATE (Wednesday, June 8, 2016):

Great piece by Lawrence Smith of WDRB-TV in Louisville on the petition drive to replace Jefferson Davis’ statue in the Capitol Rotunda with a tribute to Muhammad Ali.

UPDATE (Thursday, June 9, 2016):

Excellent piece on the petition drive by Jack Brammer that was featured on the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Highlight of the article:

Miller said he has received a few “angry comments” on his call to honor Ali.

“One of them encouraged me to kill myself,” he said. “You can quote me that I have decided not to take their advice.”

UPDATE (Friday, June 10, 2016)

The petition drives continues to show the Big Mo(hammed):  check out these stories from WKYU-FM public radio in Bowling Green and WKYT-TV, Channel 27 in Lexington:

UPDATE (Saturday, June 11, 2016):

Still not convinced?  Check out this excerpt from today’s New York Times: