Peace, brother. Peace. On behalf of friends and the Indigenous People everywhere, peace. Thank you. [applause] we introduced chief hill. His words were translated by chief oren lyons was born into a traditional indian family, grew up on the reservation of upstate new york in 1970 he became the chief and faith keeper of the turtle clan of the onondaga nation. His scholarships, stewardsships and leadership is a source of benefit and great blessing for all who know him. Now wed like to introduce rabbi joe rooks rapport. Senior rabbi of the temple here in louisville. He has been a leader in interfaith worth. He has a passion for teachen worth, and his work with youth led him to cross paths with muhammad ali. His religious theatership focuses on compassion, care, and working together with all to build a better world. Rabbi. [applause] this is a reading from our memorial prayer on yom kippur. Our day of atonement. Most sacred day of the year. It was written many decades ago by a civil rights and humanitarian leader who could never hasnt known when he composed these words that he was writing a eulogy for muhammad ali. Birth is the beginning. And death, a destination. Life is a journey. From childhood to maturity. Youth to age. From innocence to awareness. And ignorance to knowing. From foolishness to disdiscretion, and then perhaps to wisdom. From weakness to strength. From strength to weakness, and often back again. From health, to sickness. Back we pray to health again. From offense to forgiveness. From loneliness to love. From joy to gratitude. And pain to compassion. From grief to understanding. From fear to faith. From defeat, the defeat, defeat, until looking backward and ahead we see that victory lies not at some high place along the way but in having made the downy, stage by stage, a sacred pilgrimage. Birth at the beginning and death, a destination. And life is a journey. A sacred pilgrimage to life everlasting. We say words of prayer and they remain words until we encounter a person who embodies these words and makes them real. Ive said these words many times before. At funerals and in memorial services. But never have i felt them come to life and speak of a single shining soul as i do today. Muhammad ali was the heart of this city. The living, breathing, embodiment of the greatest that we can be. He was our heart. And that heart beats here still. [cheers and applause] let me tell you a story you already know. One of those stories about ali being gracious to a stranger that so many of us have told so many times, and in so many ways, that we sometimes forget the lessons the stories were intended to teach us. The story hannah tells about her father towards the end of their book, the soul of the butterfly. Hannahs driving her father to a book store on one sunday to pick up bibles and korans for a project he is working on. They pass an elderly man standing by the road with a bible in one hand and his thumb in the air with the other. They offer him a ride. And he thanks them, saying that he is on his way home from church. Hell need to go a few miles down the street where he can pick up a cab. Hannah asked where he lived. He doesnt want to trouble them or go out of their way. He has no idea who is sitting in the front seat of this car. Until muhammad ali turned around and says, its no trouble at all. Were just on our way to a book store to buy some bibles and korans. Once the man gets over meeting the greatest or alltime, he insists that he has three bibles in his house, and he would be pleased to give them to ali in appreciation for the ride. Ali thanks him but says he wants to pay for the bibles. The man says, no, the bibles were meant as a gift. Ali asked him what he does for a living, and turns out the man had a stroke and has been forced into retirement. Ali then tries to hand him a big pile of money for the bibles. The man refuses, and this is where things get interesting. Ali says, take the money, man, im trying to get into heaven. And the man replies, so am i. [laughter] ali is not taking no for an answer. He says, if you dont take the money i might not get in. And the man replies, if i do take your money i might not get in. They arrive at his home and the man invites them in to meet his wife of 30 years. He gives ali the bibles. Ali slips the money under a napkin on the kitchen table. Theyre about to leave, and hannah gives the man her phone number and tells him to call her if he ever needs a ride home from church again. Sitting in the car, ali turns to his daughter and asks, would you really go out of your way and pick him up and drive him home . And she said, yes. And with tears in his eye, he says, thats me in you. [applause] he says, youre on the road to heaven. Therein lies alis greatness. His ability to see within himself something greater, and in his ability to inspire others to see such greatness within themselves. There will never be another greatest like muhammad ali. But we together can now embody a measure of his kindness and his compassion. We can say each of us in our hearts that theres a little bit of ali in me. [applause] this week, we have mourned the loss and celebrated the life of a louisville legend and a citizen of the world. And of all the words and all the ways, the most powerful moments have all always been made in the voices of young people, repeated in Prayer Services and canted in chance in the streets i am ali. I am ali. I am not the fighter that ali was. And i may not have the courage which he never lacked. And i am definitely not as pretty. But in my heart, and in my hope, and in any prayers, i am muhammad ali. [applause] when we say that in our hearts, when we live that in our lives, then we together can build a legacy worthoff 0 the greatest or alltime. So say that now with me. In your heart and in this room. I am ali. I am ali. [applause] one of the Amazing Things we have witnessed during our time here in louisville has been just so many stories of common, ordinary people. Folks on the street, working in the hotels, the restaurants, virtually everyone has a story concerning how muhammad ali touched their lives. He came to my fourth grade class. He helped me out in this or that way. He came to visit me when i was sick. Just on and on and on. And collectively, those experiences become synergy yetic, that it become greater than the individual parts partsd when we rode through the strew streets of the city today, i witnessed something ive never, ever witnessed in my life. And i dont think i will ever witness again. I witnessed the power, and in our muslim tradition loosely translated as sainthood. I witnessed the power of sainthood. Venerable a member of the japanese buddhist order dedicated to working for world peace through the practice of walking peace pilgrimages, antinuclear weapon pilgrimages, and the construction of peace pagodas all over the globe. Will be joined on stage by sister denice, another member of the order, and together they will share a traditional chant with us. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [applause] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [chanting] [applause] now we will listen to a reading by ambassador shabazz. Ambassador shabazz is the eldest of six daughters born to her family. She proudly shares that she is inspired by her parents, their parents, and those before them through the descending generations. The former Prime Minister of belize recognized her as a key ambassador on International Cultural affairs and project development and in 2002 appointed her as ambassador at large. Powerful and elegant. We invite ambassador shabazz to read and share and inspire us. [applause] may peace be on all of us. This is a homegoing celebration, i find myself balanced between that of celebration and depletion. Loss and somehow my breathing capacity has been weakened this past week. So i ask all of you gathered and afar to please muster up and transmit a bit of your air to me. The memory of muhammad ali. Thank you all, gracias, and more as the globe centers at the very moment amidst the holy month of ramadan where every two hours theres a time zone praying and including muhammad ali and his family in their thoughts. Amidst that are the prayers of all faiths, all those touched, even those that dont claim a religion are feeling something right now, in honor of the family and the memory of their father. , husband. And the spirit of my parents, Malcolm X Shabazz and dr. Betty shabazz. In the presence of my five younger sisters, our children, and our grandchildren. I would like to first honor his beloved wife, my sister, lana ali. For all the strength that you know and that resonate beyond, sometimes you do need a little help. No matter how magnificent you are. And indeed those that were with him, that loved him, family members, have seen that. His nine children and i will name them marium, ha shed a da, muhammad, jr. , khalilah. Mia, hannah, layla, and assad, as well as their mothers, and the Third Generation of ali grandchildren who accompany them. From this day and those to calm as we redefine your days with a life without your presence will be very different although memories and all the things that we have that keep them going have touched you differently and that has to be honored and recognized. [applause] just know that when you are the defenders of the presence of someone whose life is filled with principle theres a seed within you so you have cultivate that responsibility as well. [applause] this moment is very meaningful for me to have been amongst those who have been blessed by muhammad himself and a fertile by his wife to take part by sharing a statement during this ceremony. While he and i had a treasured relationship the genesis of his love and the love for my father. [applause] muhammad ali was the last of the return of the bequeathed to me directly by my dad. Somewhere between me turning 18, 19 or 20 they dont think to find me somehow guided by an oath promise to my dad long after him leaving this earth to search for me and they did. Each one remaining in my life until joining the rest of the heavens for lebed humanitarians. This included muhammad ali who my dad loved his little brother 16 years his junior and his and trusted friend. It it was a double take when i came upon him of ones childhood first child and now looking right into his face and you know how he is. From the very moment we found one another it was as if no time had passed at all by the presumptions of division. Despite all the efforts of separation like all of the organized distancing we dove right into all of the quiet yet stated and duly acknowledged basis we could explore and then cover. We cried out loud. His belt, his brief for having not spoken to my dad before he left and then just as loudly we would laugh about the best of stories and stuff that cant be repeated. He was really funny. What was significant as brothers for my father and all the was their ability to discuss openly anything all facets of life, namely the true meaning as men with great responsibility was bestowed to them how to make an equitable difference in the lives of others. The unifying topic and ecumenical face respect for faith, all faith even if belonging to one specific religion or not. The rule of such being the gift of faith itself so in his own words as he wrote we all have the same god. We just serve him differently, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, oceans all had different names for us. They all contain water. So do religions have different names and yet they all contain truth, truth expressed in different ways and forms and times. It doesnt matter whether youre a muslim, christian or jewish when you believe in god you should believe all people are part of one family. [applause] for if you love god you cant love only some of his children. [applause] his words and certainly ideals shared by both men, love is a mighty thing. Devotion is a mighty thing and truth always rains. Having muhammad ali in my life somehow sustained my dads breath for me just a little while longer. 51 years longer until now. [applause] and i am forever grateful to have loud for me to continue to preserve confidentiality and the comfort of living in louisville kentucky for the past six years. [applause] that was not a plan and mostly for the gift of knowing and loving his wife and children forever forward as my own family , know that. [applause] as the last of the paternity reaches to heaven my heart is rendered ever longingly for that tribe, tribe of purpose, tribe of significance, tribe of competence, tribe of character, tribe of duty, tribe of faith, tribe of service. We must make sure that the principle of men and women like muhammad ali and others who dedicated their very being to assure that you get to recognize your own glory is sustained and passed on like that olympic torch. My dad would often stayed when concluding our parting from another may we meet again in the light of understanding and i say to you with the light of that by any means necessary. [applause] [applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen representing the president of the United States and mrs. Obama, ms. Valerie jarrett. [applause] good afternoon. On behalf of president obama and mrs. Obama, i wish to express to you their deepest regret that they couldnt be with us here today as we celebrate the extraordinary life of muhammad ali. I first met muhammad ali over 45 years ago through his friendship with my uncle and my uncle would be so touched that his son is a pallbearer here today. Thank you lonnie. [applause] because of my families in action the president and first lady asked me if i would. This tribute to you tend by president obama. It was 1980, an epic of rear was in its twilight. Everybody knew it. Probably including the champ himself. Ali when into one of his final fights and underdog. All of the smart money was on the new Champ Larry Holmes and in the end the oddsmakers were right. A few hours later at 4 00 a. M. After the loss, after the fans have gone home and the sportswriters were writing their final takes, a sportswriter asked a restroom attendant if he would bet on the fight. The man, lack and getting on in years, said he put his money on ali. The writer asked why. Why the man said, why . Because he is muhammad ali. [applause] thats why. [applause] he said mr. Im 72 years old and i owe that man for giving me my dignity. [applause] to lonnie in the ali family, president clinton and an arena full of distinguished guests, you are amazing. [applause] the man we celebrate today is not just a boxer or a poet or an agitator or a man of peace. He was not just a muslim or a black man or a louisville kid though i know you wish that was at louisville, this wonderful city. He was even just the greatest of all time. He was muhammad ali. The whole far greater than the sum of its parts. He was bigger, brighter and more original and influential than just about anyone of his aero. [applause] you couldnt have made them up, and yes he was. Serious. He had fans in every city, every village, every ghetto on the planet. He was feted by foreign heads of state, the beatles, british invasion took a detour to come to him. It seems sometimes that the champ was simply too big for america but i actually think that the world flocked to him and wonder precisely because as he once put it, muhammad ali was america. [applause] brass, defiant, pioneering, joyful, never tired, always game to test the odds. He was our most basic freedom religion, speech, spirit. He embodied our ability to invent ourselves. His life spoke to our slavery and discrimination than journey he traveled help to shock our consciousness and lead us on a roundabout path toward salvation. Like america, he was always very much a work in progress. We do him a disservice to of his story to talk only of floating white butterflies and stinging quite these. Ali was a radical even in a radical of times, aloud and proud and unabashedly passionate voice in a jim crow world. [applause] his jabs knock some sense into us, yes they did pushing us to expand our imagination and to bring others into our understanding. Now there were times when he swung the bat wildly. Thats her right, wound up and accidentally may have robbed the wrong opponent and he was the first to admit that through all his triumphs and failures, ali seem to achieve the sort of enlightenment and inner peace that we are all striving towards. In the 60s when other young men his age were leaving the country to avoid war or jail, he was asked why he didnt join them. He got angry. He said he would never leave. His people and his words are here, the millions struggling for freedom and justice and equality and i can do a lot of help in jail or not, right here in america. [applause] he would have everything stripped from him, his title, standing, his money his passion, very nearly his freedom but ali still chose america. I imagine he knew that only here in this country could be when it all back. So he chose to help protect the union where a descendent of slaves can become the king of the world. [applause] and in the process, in the process lends some dignity to all of us. Mates, porters, students and elderly bathroom attendants and help inspire a young micks kid with a funny name to have the audacity to believe he could be anything, even the president of the United States. [applause] muhammad ali was america. Muhammad ali will always be america. What a man, what a spirit, what a joyous mica full champion. God bless the greatness of ali. God blesses them with and god bless this nation we love. Thank you very much. [applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, lonnie ali. [applause] [applause] [chanting] peace be upon you. You know i said something to matt lauer yesterday that i firmly believe muhammad had something to do with all of this , and i think we are right. Thank you all for being here to share in his final farewell to mohammad. On behalf of the ali family but me first recognize our principle celebrant and also doctored timothy gm nod e. [applause] we thank you for your dedication to helping us fulfill mohammads desire for the ceremonies of this past week reflect the traditions of visit islamic faith. As a family we thank the millions of people who through the miracle of social media inspired by their love for mohammad have reached out to us with their prayers. The messages, that came in every language from every corner of the globe. From wherever you are watching now that we have been humbled by your heartfelt expressions of love. It is only fitting that we gather in the city to which mohammad always returned after his great triumph, a city that has grown as mohammad has grown. [applause] mohammad never stopped loving louisville and we know that louisville love to mohammad. [applause] we cannot forget a Louisville Police officer joe aspe martin who embraced the young 12yearold boy in distress when his bicycle was stolen. [applause] he handed Young Cassius clay the keys to a future at doxing. He