Muhammad Ali’s career brought boxing fans some of the toughest matches in sport’s history. But, in the 1960s, it could be argued his greatest battles existed outside the ring.

Back then, a 22-year-old Ali repeatedly found himself embroiled in conflicts concerning race, religion, and wartime dissent during a time that filmmaker Bill Siegel referenced as “the most important period of his life.”

At 6:30 p.m Tuesday, March 4, AETN, KUAR 89.1 FM, and the William F. Laman Public Library will present a free preview screening of the new film about Ali’s life in exile, “The Trials of Muhammad Ali.” The screening will be held in the room 126 at the library.

Following the screening, Dr. Michael R. Twyman, director of the UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity, and Ojima Omar Robinson, a practicing Muslim and Little Rock native, will lead a community conversation about the film and its relevance to the central Arkansas community.

“As a child, I admired Muhammad Ali’s accomplishments inside the boxing ring; but as an adult, my greatest respect is for what he has achieved outside the ring to further social and racial justice,” said Twyman.

More about the film

From joining the controversial Nation of Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, to his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War in the name of protesting racial inequality, Ali remains an inspiring and controversial figure.

In “The Trials of Muhammad Ali,” Academy Award-nominated Siegel examines some of the most noteworthy, provocative, and resonant aspects of the legendary boxer’s lifelong journey of spiritual transformation.