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.)
787 | Adam Okuley | Louisville, Kentucky | Jun 10, 2020 | |
786 | Kristen Clark | Walton, KY | Jun 10, 2020 | |
785 | Stephi Wolff | Louisville, KY | Jun 10, 2020 | |
784 | Angela Dragoo | Lexington, US | Jun 10, 2020 | |
783 | Tommy Gleason | Louisville, KY | Jun 09, 2020 | |
782 | John Stallard | Lexington, KY | Jun 09, 2020 | |
781 | Nelson Rodes | Louisville, KY | Jun 09, 2020 | |
780 | Ben Lesousky | Louisville, Kentucky | Jun 09, 2020 | |
779 | Vince Lang | Frankfort, Kentucky | Jun 09, 2020 | |
778 | Joy Beckerman | Seattle, Washington | Jun 09, 2020 | |
777 | Eleanor Snider | Versailles , Kentucky | Jun 09, 2020 | |
776 | John Hubbuch | Lovettsville, VA | Jun 08, 2020 | |
775 | Elizabeth Diamond | Baltimore , MD | Jun 08, 2020 | |
774 | Joshua Oyster | Louisville, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
773 | Chris kelly | Lexington , Kentucky | Jun 08, 2020 | |
772 | Victoria Bailey | Austin, Texas | Jun 08, 2020 | |
771 | Ola Lessard | Bellingham, Washington | Jun 08, 2020 | |
770 | Alexis Schumann | Union, Kentucky | Jun 08, 2020 | |
769 | Howard Carey | Austin, TX | Jun 08, 2020 | |
768 | Pat Fowler | Scottsville , Kentucky | Jun 08, 2020 | |
767 | Joseph Hernandez | KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
766 | Katelyn Wiard | Lexington, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
765 | Morgan Steve | Lexington, Ky | Jun 08, 2020 | |
764 | Alan Stein | Lexington, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
763 | Kathleen Carter | Paris, Kentucky | Jun 08, 2020 | |
762 | Tanner Nichols | Louisville, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
761 | Sarah Katzenmaier | LEXINGTON, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
760 | Kendra Kinney | 07052, NJ | Jun 08, 2020 | |
759 | Shelby McMullan | Louisville, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
758 | David Goldsmith | Harmony , Rhode Island | Jun 08, 2020 | |
757 | Susan Brown Brown | Lexington, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
756 | Dave Ulinski | Jeffersonville, IN | Jun 08, 2020 | |
755 | Frank Pfeffer | Morristown, NJ | Jun 08, 2020 | |
754 | William Downey | Versailles, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
753 | ryan v | Jun 08, 2020 | ||
752 | Lois Mateus | Harrodsburg, KY | Jun 08, 2020 | |
751 | Merwin Grayson, jr | Ocala, Fl | Jun 08, 2020 | |
750 | David Triplett | Louisville, Kentucky | Jun 08, 2020 | |
749 | Greg Frankel | Cincinnati, OH | Jun 07, 2020 | |
748 | Maggie Genardi | Louisville, KY | Jun 07, 2020 | |
747 | Terry Heick | Louisville, Kentucky | Jun 07, 2020 | |
746 | Meredith Mason | Lexington, KY | Jun 07, 2020 | |
745 | Caitlin Neal | Lexington, KY | Jun 07, 2020 | |
744 | Emma Masur | Lexington, KY | Jun 07, 2020 | |
743 | Thomas Lewis | Cranston, RI | Jun 07, 2020 | |
742 | Joe Waz | Los Angeles, CA | Jun 07, 2020 | |
741 | Henry Davis | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Jun 07, 2020 | |
740 | Faith Boles | Lexington, KY | Jun 07, 2020 | |
739 | Logan Fogle | Louisville, KY | Jun 07, 2020 | |
738 | David Wirtschafter | Lexington , Kentucky | Jun 07, 2020 | |
< > |
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: