Current:Home > BackSculpture commemorating historic 1967 Cleveland summit with Ali, Jim Brown, other athletes unveiled-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Sculpture commemorating historic 1967 Cleveland summit with Ali, Jim Brown, other athletes unveiled
View Date:2025-01-11 14:44:29
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell looked reverently at the elderly man sitting in the front row clutching his cane and was star struck.
To Mitchell and others, John Wooten is a giant.
“That’s a man who didn’t know if he would be able to see his dream come true,” Mitchell said. “To be a part of the vision he dreamed for. This is truly special.”
On Wednesday, Mitchell helped unveil a public sculpture honoring the Ali Summit, the famous 1967 gathering in Cleveland of some of the nation’s top Black athletes, including Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — a meeting viewed as a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.
The carbon steel art piece depicts the press conference table that Ali, Brown and others sat at following their meeting 56 years ago, a moment captured in an iconic photograph.
Wooten, now 86, took part in the initial summit and Wednesday was the first time the former NFL player and social activist had been back to the site, a revelation that drew gasps from some in the audience attending a news conference.
“Cleveland is a special place,” Wooten said. “It was a special place then and it is now.”
The sculpture, which sits on the same coordinates where the original summit took place, includes 12 microphones representing the participants at the summit — 11 athletes and Carl Stokes, then a state representative who could become Cleveland’s mayor, the first Black to lead a major U.S. city.
In addition to the unveiling, Cleveland’s three professional teams — the Cavaliers, Guardians and Browns, who formed an alliance a few years ago to promote lasting social change in Northeast Ohio — announced they will host an annual summit.
Kevin Clayton, the Cavs’ vice president of social impact and equity, noted the city’s rich and varied history in breaking barriers. From Cleveland’s own Jesse Owens winning four Olympic golds in 1936 at Berlin to Larry Doby following Jackie Robinson’s lead and becoming the American League’s first Black player and more.
“We don’t have to make up history in Cleveland,” Clayton said. “We are history.”
Following the ceremony, Wooten and Jim Brown’s wife, Monique, posed for photos behind the large sculpture. Brown, considered one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, died in May at the age of 87.
“Jim would be so proud,” she said.
Mitchell said he was aware of the Ali Summit and its history. However, seeing and hearing Wooten helped crystallize its meaning.
Wooten explained that in 1967, Brown, his close friend and Browns teammate, summoned other leading Black athletes to Cleveland to meet with Ali, who was protesting military enlistment as a conscientious objector due to his Islamic faith.
“I knew the importance of it,” Mitchell said. “I knew about Muhammad Ali because I went to Louisville, and obviously I knew of Jim Brown. I learned more about Mr. Wooten, and I was just shocked that he was here.
“This is special, especially for a person of color like myself to be around Black excellence. A big reason why we’re even here playing sports is because of what happened here in Cleveland. It’s an honor for me to be a part of it.”
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff felt the same pride in being able to share the moment with Wooten.
“If there was no you,” he said. “There would be no us.”
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
veryGood! (748)
Related
- Disruptions to Amtrak service continue after fire near tracks in New York City
- Zak Williams reflects on dad Robin Williams: 'He was a big kid at heart'
- After fire struck Maui’s Upcountry, residents of one town looked to themselves to prep for next one
- Dozens of pregnant women, some bleeding or in labor, being turned away from ERs despite federal law
- Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
- Jonathan Taylor among Indianapolis Colts players to wear 'Guardian Caps' in preseason game
- Disney's Goofy Character Isn't Actually a Dog—Or a Cow
- Can I use my 401(k) as an ATM? New rules allow emergency withdrawals.
- Florida man’s US charges upgraded to killing his estranged wife in Spain
- Maine can now order employers to pay workers damages for missed wages
Ranking
- Dramatic video shows Phoenix police rescue, pull man from car submerged in pool: Watch
- Inside the Stephen Curry flurry: How 4 shots sealed another gold for the US in Olympic basketball
- Madison LeCroy’s Hair Hack Gives Keratin Treatment and Brazilian Blowout Results Without Damage
- The Perseids are here. Here’s how to see the ‘fireballs’ of summer’s brightest meteor shower
- Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira set to be sentenced, could get up to 17 years in prison
- Fatal weekend shootings jolt growing Denver-area suburb
- Americans’ refusal to keep paying higher prices may be dealing a final blow to US inflation spike
- Disney's Goofy Character Isn't Actually a Dog—Or a Cow
Recommendation
-
Why the US celebrates Veterans Day and how the holiday has changed over time
-
Get an Extra 70% Off J.Crew Sale Styles, Old Navy Deals Under $20, 60% Off Beyond Yoga & More Sales
-
Sifan Hassan's Olympic feat arguably greatest in history of Summer Games
-
Brittney Griner’s tears during national anthem show how much this Olympic gold medal means
-
Could trad wives, influencers have sparked the red wave among female voters?
-
Get an Extra 70% Off J.Crew Sale Styles, Old Navy Deals Under $20, 60% Off Beyond Yoga & More Sales
-
Jason Biggs knows 'attractive pie' hosting Netflix's 'Blue Ribbon Baking' show
-
'Scarface' actor Ángel Salazar dies at 68