*The Los Angeles City Council would like to see Muhammad Ali memorialized on a postage stamp.
The council recently passed a resolution introduced by Councilman Kevin de León, calling for the United States Postal Service to recognize Ali with a postage stamp, Spectrum News reports.
Per the report, Ali once said, “I should be a postage stamp, because that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.” The former world heavyweight boxing champion lived in Los Angeles from 1979 to 1986.
“He is a man who grew up in the deep South,” de León told reporters, per the report. “He is a man who took on the system, the establishment. He objected to participating in a controversial war. He was ostracized by powerful government agencies who targeted him and he just demonstrated resilience and grace and dignity. And he is an example of someone to follow, someone who is inspiring, who is motivated, aside from his athletic achievements.”
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“The next generation needs to learn about this man so hopefully they can be impacted, get the confidence, stand up, say what you believe,” said Peter Villegas, a board member at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.
“We need some compassion in this world and this man stood for compassion,” Villegas said. “He always helped, he always gave. And we need to promote that.”
In June, Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher and Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, launched a campaign to have the U.S. Postal Service create a Muhammad Ali stamp, Louisville Courier Journal reported.
“What better day than June 3rd when Muhammad passed, to bring attention to this great honor that we really think he deserves,” said Annie Moore, senior manager of content and communications of the Ali Center, during a press conference. And as Ali once said, “I should be a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.”
To become the featured subject of a postage stamp, a person must be dead for at least three years. Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016.
The application process through the Postal Service could take years, per the Spectrum News report.
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