Mark Collins Jenkins - Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World

I cant think of anyone from this or the last century who is the equal of Muhammad Ali. He is singularly the most recognised person on the face of the Earth at this moment, and I think that speaks volumes. There is no one else who could be his equal in terms of being a carrier of messages that could help change individuals lives, as well as society in general. And Muhammad recognises this unique power that his maker gave to him. He wants the Center to be his legacy and carry on far beyond his time.

At the Center, there are going to be some major multimedia experiences that we would wish for all visitors to participate in. Certainly film will be a very significant component of the experience, but the environment that well be creating for a particular media experience will be just as important as the media presentation itself. For instance, were creating a theatre where you feel as though you are literally in the ring with him and a virtualreality opportunity to make you feel as though youre there with Muhammad, experiencing the excitement and drama of having thousands of people cheering you. Well certainly have many interactive components where you can communicate, in a sense, with Muhammad Ali video screens, for instance and hope that people leave feeling that their experience of the Center is but a beginning of a relationship with the Center and, through us, with Muhammad. Well encourage them to communicate their thoughts about particular themes that may be presented and point out opportunities for us to be able to respond to their thinking. Were interested particularly in providing opportunities for young people.

We also have plans to form a partnership with regional, national and even international organisations that are in harmony with the mission of the Center. For instance, the United Nations will have a very strong relationship with the Centre, and in terms of human rights and issues of humanitarianism or childrens issues, there will be opportunities for us engage in collaborative programming. The UN thinks of the Center as a kind of venue from which they can share with a broader public much more of what they are learning across the globe.

Locally, were very fortunate to have the highly respected University of Louisville. The universitys relationship with the Center is formalised, and they have created an institute of peacemaking and conflict resolution, so we can foresee that the Center will be the place for which many of the programs under the auspices of this partnership will be offered for the benefit of the general public, because we have specialised groups around the country and beyond. So there will be training programs for different groups across the country and far beyond, helping people to have a better understanding of how to prevent conflict in the first place, as well as how to manage it when necessary. There will also be opportunities to actually negotiate and mediate conflict.

Weve also have formed a partnership with an organisation called Shine, which is a young adults organisation that aims to reach out to millions of young adults and make them think about their own lives and teach them to respond in a non-conflicting way to societal circumstances. So we intend to collaborate and to truly partner with these organisations that are themselves doing some significant things in the development of individuals.

I know that Lonnie hopes that the centre will be a very receptive institution for anyone, whatever their own objectives, but she wants to make certain that, when leave the centre, they have truly received the messages that we hope to provide them with and get much more than their preconceived ideas of what they might experience within the Center. So, if people come here to see the wonderful fights that Muhammad was involved in, they wont be able to experience those. We will have many of those moments captured so that visitors wont be disappointed, and well have an archive, too, as well the opportunity to give those kinds of visitors everything they want to experience about that particular sport, but the mission of the Center is much more than that. We people whether they have a real affinity for the sport or not to fully appreciate the storyline, the message of the Center, and we want that message to affect their lives in very positive ways. The Center is there so that people can share Muhammads legacy and his ideals.

For people who arent into boxing, though, there will be plenty for them, and plenty for other people with other interests that are leaning toward different aspects of Muhammads life. Its not to be looked on as a boxing museum as Muhammad himself says, his boxing career was just a vehicle for him to do what hes been doing for these last 30-plus years. Its a place where people can come and feel as though they have that same potential that he had to become great in their own lives.

Weve had some high-profile support from corporations and individuals, including people like Billy Crystal and Robin Williams, and we continue to cultivate that interest amongst others that we hope will show similar support for what were doing. Today, were finding from both the individual benefactor and the corporate sector a better understanding of what the Centers goals truly are. Theyre beginning to recognise the significance of what the Center can become. But they have had to be convinced that its not a place to honour and glorify Muhammad; its a place to continue the work that Muhammads has started, to reach millions and millions of people, even more than the number hes reaching now, spending 200 days of the year on the road, touching peoples lives.