Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali

Matt Roush says...

The fierce but fraught 1960’s friendship of the rising-star Olympian boxer and the revolutionary activist is explored in a documentary produced by Kenya Barris (black-ish). Also a subplot in Ken Burns’ upcoming Muhammad Ali documentary (Sept. 19-22 on PBS), their bond (dramatized in the recent movie One Night in Miami) is recalled by Malcolm X’s daughter and Ali’s brother and daughters in new interviews. This brotherhood, strengthened after Ali made the controversial decision to embrace Islam and change his name from Cassius Clay, later frayed when political division within the Nation of Islam left Ali taking sides and choosing to stand by his mentor and Malcolm’s rival, Elijah Muhammad. Ali would regret this estrangement in later years.