Singer Michael Bolton talks to the media before the ceremony. He won the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Gender Equality. / photos By Matt Stone/The C-J
Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali, talks to reporters on the red carpet at the first annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards at the Galt House Thursday night. The award ceremony was presented by the Yum! Brands Foundation. / By Matt Stone/The Courier-Journal
It was kind of like a Derby Eve party — but without a race the following day.
Some celebrities came to Louisville last week as part of the inaugural Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards. There was a red carpet and everything.
The honorees included former President Jimmy Carter and singers Michael Bolton and Christina Aguilera.
Here are some snippets that didn’t make the newspaper.
Bolton: “It’s an enormous event for me. This experience is enormous to me.”
Aguilera: “We’re all the same person. We’re all one. No one is better than anyone else.”
Chip Carter, who accepted the award on behalf of his father, former President Jimmy Carter: “He stuck by his convictions and stood up for his rights. And so he became a hero of mine long before I ever knew him politically.”
Laila Ali, retired boxer, TV personality and Muhammad Ali’s daughter: “There are so many wonderful people who have followed in my father’s footsteps, and they deserve to be recognized.”
Renowned jockey Pat Day: “I hope it (the awards) would stimulate interest among just the public to do more, to do better. The gift is in the giving.”
Attallah Shabazz, daughter of human-rights activist Malcolm X: “This evening is really very significant and important in bringing the globe’s attention to Louisville and all of the wonderful acts that happen here.”
