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Wearing a big smile, his hands trembling at his sides from Parkinson's disease, Ali announced his intentions to a rare bipartisan, standing-room-only crowd at the state capitol in Lansing, Mich., last month.
Ali rarely speaks in public now because his speech is slurred due to complications of the disease. But even in silence, he was most eloquent.
He entranced hundreds of school children with magic tricks and practical jokes, charmed legislators who eagerly reached for his hand, and mugged for a legion of photographers.
Ali's wife, Lonnie, ill with the flu, remained at their home in Berrien Springs, Mich. His personal aide, Kim Fosburger, was his spokesperson.
She said the three-time world heavyweight boxing champion, now 55 years old, had a simple message to Michigan's lawmakers: "Do more to safeguard Michigan's 3.2 million youngsters from child abuse."
Earlier, Ali had explained why he wanted to testify before two legislative committees. "I love children," he said. "Children are angels exiled from heaven."
Reading from a script prepared by the Alis, Fosburger said that the purpose of their testimony is to build upon the message announced earlier by Michigan Governor John Engler in his annual address that "there is no excuse for child abuse."
The Alis will strongly support two creative and courageous efforts toward that end. These are recommendations to increase protection for abused and neglected children made by Lieutenant Governor Connie Binsfeld's Children's Commission and by Richard Bearup, Michigan's children's ombudsman.
One of the major recommendations is shifting the emphasis from reuniting children with abusive parents to doing what would be in the best interests of children.
Another recommendation is to increase the number of child abuse investigators. Bearup said that in his 1998 budget, Engler called for an additional 125 child protective service workers.
"The Alis can't strongly enough urge you to take bold and decisive action" on legislation to ensure children's safety, Fosburger said. She noted that Bearup's office recently issued 61 policy recommendations that, if enacted into law, would help eradicate child abuse in Michigan.
Fosburger reported the following statistics about child abuse in Michigan:
More than 125,000 complaints of abuse and neglect were reported in 1995, the most recent and complete data on file with the state Office of Children's Ombudsman.
Fewer than half of the complaints were investigated, but about one in five of the investigations found some maltreatment of a child.
Eighty-one percent of the perpetrators of abuse and neglect were parents.
Nationwide, Fosburger said, 1,261 children died of abuse in 1995. Ninety percent were under age 6.
Often, she said, protective service agencies knew about the abuse, but were too slow in removing children from dangerous environments.
She told legislators that after Engler appointed Bearup to be the state's first Children's Ombudsman in 1995, Ali told his wife: "I want to help Rich Bearup fight child abuse."
Ali bought the 88-acre farm at Berrien Springs once owned by Chicago gangster Al Capone in 1974. He moved there permanently after marrying Lonnie, now 40, nearly 10 years ago, Fosburger said. The farm is now for sale, and the Alis plan to move to their hometown of Louisville, Ky., where a museum celebrating Ali's accomplishments is being built.
The couple has one son, 6-year-old Asaad. Muhammad Ali also has eight grown children and two grandchildren.
At the Capitol, Ali was introduced on the Senate floor by Binsfeld, who called him "one of Michigan's greatest citizens." Senators hailed him as "The Greatest" and "The Champ."
Accompanied by Bearup and members of Bearup's 11-person staff, Ali walked through the rotunda to the House floor and received a standing ovation. Detroit Representative Kwame Kilpatrick said Ali was a champion not only because of his "brain, guts, and skill," but also because of his "tireless work for children."
Ali later attended a fund-raiser for the Chance at Childhood Foundation, of which Binsfeld is chair. Ali and his wife are board members of the foundation, which was formed in 1994 to support programs to prevent child abuse and neglect, as well as improve the justice system in ways that will better protect children.
(Psychiatric News, June 6, 1997)