This summer, eight Muhammad Ali scholars embarked on a transformative, two-week international learning and cultural experience in South Africa. Sherry Durham, director of the , said the scholars are asked to be active in building awareness of social justice issues, not just on a local level but national and even internationally.

“That was one purpose of the trip,” she said. “Muhammad Ali was very committed to service and empowering his community. We want to help build future change agents. Whatever the student is passionate about, we connect them with real people who are doing that work, and they come up with some type of solution.”

Durham, along with Marian Vasser, associate vice president for , and Muriel Harris, retired faculty member from the , led the students abroad.

One stop on the journey included a tour of Robben Island, the infamous site of the prison where peace activist Nelson Mandela was held during apartheid. While talking with a tour guide and former prisoner, the group gained insight into South Africa’s arduous journey to democracy, and the resilience and spirit of the community.

“Through dialogue and conversation, we helped the students connect what they learned from the community and from the history in South Africa to their research projects,”  Durham said. The director said she also was interested in connecting the dots from seemingly other disparate historical events around the world, like instances of genocide in various countries. “Even though these are very different events, it’s some of the same mistakes that we’ve made throughout history over and over again, regardless of race or ethnicity.”

Muhammad Ali Scholar and  student Kaamraan Iqbal said he appreciated the conversations with local residents.

“Everyone I spoke to who was affected by apartheid were extremely welcoming in sharing their stories and how they coped,” he said. “The people of South Africa should have a medal of honor for perseverance with all the stories I heard.”

Additionally, Durham said she welcomed the opportunity to see how other cultures experience their worlds.

“I wanted everyone, not just the students, but everybody, to recognize their privilege on so many levels. For example, in America you might be an ally, or a part of the LGBTQ community, but in Africa, that’s frowned upon in a lot of places,” said Durham. “I felt blessed to be able to see a broader perspective versus what we see here in our little bubble in the United States.”

Iqbal said the Ali Scholars program has opened his eyes to so many possibilities.

“For anyone who’s trying to find themselves, who’s wanting to be more than what they are right now, who wants to make a change but doesn’t know how, the Muhammad Ali Scholars program can help you reach that goal,” he said.

Created in 2004, the Muhammad Ali Scholars Program is designed to create a community of scholars who embody Muhammad Ali’s legacy, becoming transformative leaders who positively impact the community. Through a commitment to service and social justice, the scholars inspire change and become future change-makers. The two-year program of social justice leadership development, academic research, community engagement and service also requires undergraduate students to research a social justice issue where they wish to make an impact.

But it is most known as the street in which boxing legend Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay Jr., grew up. The entire Clay family resided at the house full-time from 1947 through 1961.

The Ali home, located specifically at 3302 Grand Ave., had fallen on poor conditions and was restored beginning in 2015 to recapture minute details from the wallpaper to the picture frames. It is now registered with the Kentucky Historical Society and opened as a museum dedicated to his life on May 1, 2016. 

Thanks to those restoration efforts, passersby no doubt immediately recognize the 1,000-square-foot house because of its signature pink exterior – just as the house looked when Ali was young.

As a non-profit organization, the Muhammad Ali home often requires extra help for upkeep. Recently, a group of UofL students, alumni and employees provided just that.

, the eldest of six daughters born to Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Shabazz, works with the Muhammad Ali Childhood Home Museum and reached out to Ashleigh Hazley, director of UofL’s Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice and adviser for the Muhammad Ali Scholars program, to gauge volunteer interest from the campus community.

A handful jumped at the chance and, since April, have pitched in to help around Ali’s home – cleaning, pulling weeds, planting new flowers, painting and so forth.

“We tried to get it to look as nice as possible ahead of Ali Week (), which is hosted by the Ali Center and the Ali family. It looks nice,” Hazley said.

Ambassador Shabazz’s vision is to revitalize all of Grand Avenue, Hazley said. She anticipates UofL will be involved in future projects until that goal is met.

“We have a hodgepodge of folks from UofL who really care about the upkeep of this home. It’s important and powerful,” she said.

For Hazley, it’s also personal. She lived on Grand Avenue when she was younger and would recall her grandmother talking about Muhammad Ali “living down the street” and the pride that came with it.

“It was important for me to make this connection because of my work for the institute and with the scholars,” she said. “I thought it would be special for them, too and I think it has been.”