Campaign hoping to bring communities together for anniversary of Muhammad Ali visit
A new North East project is using Muhammad Ali’s visit to the region to encourage community collaboration.
A North East campaign inspired by boxing legend Muhammad Ali has started with the goal of bringing communities together.
The Asians of the North Foundation was launched on Friday, June 26 with representatives from across the region’s religious and cultural bases at an event which included talks by four charities – Newcastle Foodbank, HoodEx, One Nation and Anxious Minds.
Kicking off its work, the foundation’s first campaign will focus on the success of Muhammad Ali’s famous visit ro the region in July 1977 - a tour which included a visit to South Shields.
Andy Mahmood, founder of the Asians of the North initiative, says the project is built around a simple message: "No unity without community.”
“It’s an open platform, inclusive to all and takes its name from the iconic Angel of the North. Asians of the North are looking to encourage conversations, challenge misconceptions and celebrate the shared identity of people living across the region.
The project is currently planning a series of educational and community events, including screenings of the acclaimed documentary City of Ali, which explores the boxer's influence beyond the sport. Organisers hope to take the programme into schools, colleges and universities across the region.
"We want to put our arm around the younger generation and help lift them up when they're struggling," said Andy. "If we can inspire young people to believe in themselves, get involved in their communities and treat others with respect, then we'll have achieved something worthwhile."
He hopes the programme will use Ali's story as a way of encouraging young people to build confidence, engage with their communities and develop positive relationships with people from different backgrounds.
"Ali stood for much more than boxing," he said. "He stood for fairness, humanitarian values, respect and unity. Those are the messages we want young people to learn from."
The campaign also aims to highlight Ali's unique connection to the North East. During his visit he met residents, visited communities across Tyneside and South Shields and married Veronica Porsche at the Al-Azhar Mosque in South Shields.
Next year will mark 50 years since Ali’s visit to the region.