In an interview which would contribute to the loss of his heavyweight title and a jail sentence, Muhammad Ali articulated his reasons for conscientiously objecting to the draft and the war itself. He justified his actions by saying that no Vietnamese has ever slurred at him, or oppressed, or lynched his racial group, or profiled him. Because the Vietnam draft exempted those enrolled in higher education, African Americans were drafted, and then died, in disproportionate numbers[1]. This garnered profuse criticism from many given the “inconsistency of fighting for freedom in South Vietnam at a time when African Americans were not yet free at home”[2]. Deep racial biases – which were reflected in the Vietnam war – still plagued American society at this time. Ali’s interview aligns with a common perspective on Vietnam from minority groups. For minorities, Vietnam represented the government’s perpetual apathy towards enforcing civil rights at home despite African-American’s far-reaching sacrifices to guaranteeing them overseas. The interview portrays the consistency of racial inequality in American history, and shows that antiwar protest often included calling the government out on its contradictory actions. Ali’s words were a direct result of the government’s continuous granting and defending civil liberties on a conditional basis and reflected the fact that many African Americans questioned the morality and logic of their contribution to the war effort.
[1] Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri. “African Americans.” In Peace Now!: American Society and the Ending of the Vietnam War, 93-141. Yale University Press, 1999.
[2] Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri. “African Americans.” In Peace Now!: American Society and the Ending of the Vietnam War, 93-141