It was clear from Ali’s statement that he no longer made his own decisions. The writers mostly asked him questions about political issues, the Nation of Islam, and the civil rights movement. When one of the writers mistakenly called him “Mr. Clay,” he corrected her, reminding the panel that he had a new name. Appearing serious, Ali frequently referenced the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, just as Malcolm used to do. “Our leader teaches us that we are a nation within a nation,” he maintained. Confused, the moderator asked him what that really meant. Ali explained that America did not belong to the black man. The fact that whites constantly attacked blacks proved it. When the moderator asked him if he considered himself an American first and foremost, Ali definitively answered, “No, sir. No, sir. Proud to say no. First, I’m a black man. I’m an Afro-American.” When the moderator pressed him again, Ali insisted, “Well, I’m not no American. I’m a black man.”
After Ali returned from Africa, reporters and businessmen learned that if they wanted to meet with him privately, they had to see Herbert Muhammad. Herbert controlled everything. Following his father’s orders, he began promoting Ali as a righteous and devoted follower of the Messenger, turning Muhammad Speaks into a photo album of the heavyweight champion. Inside the Nation’s newspaper, readers found pictures of Ali learning from Elijah, meeting Nkrumah, shaking hands with Nasser, and playing with black children. Herbert also created opportunities for the Nation to profit from Ali’s likeness. For only two dollars, kids could join the Muhammad Ali International Fan Club and receive a personally autographed photo of the champ, wallet-size membership card, membership button, and newsletter.31
As a famous black athlete, Ali proved invaluable to the Nation of Islam. Jeremiah X recalled, “People wanted to hear what he had to say, so his visibility and prominence were of great benefit to the Nation. His voice carried throughout the world, and that was a true blessing for us.” Ali’s appearances at Muslim rallies, even the possibility that he might appear, enticed blacks to attend the Nation’s meetings. “There’s no doubt,” Jeremiah said, “our following increased enormously, maybe a hundred percent, after he joined the Nation. When he went to a temple, there were overflowing crowds.”32
With Malcolm out of the picture, Ali became the Nation’s most visible symbol of redemption. Like Malcolm once did, he exaggerated how the Nation’s moral code transformed him, crediting Elijah Muhammad for purifying his soul. “Well, before I became a Muslim, I used to drink,” he said disingenuously. “Yes, I did. The truth is the truth. And after I fought and beat somebody I didn’t hardly go anywhere without two big, pretty women beside me.” People would be stunned to learn how much he had changed after becoming a Muslim, he said. Being a Muslim gave him the strength to resist sinful temptations, especially with so many women throwing themselves at him. “All types of women—white women, too—make passes at me. Girls find out where I live and knock at the door at one and two in the morning. They send me their pictures and phone numbers, saying, ‘Please, just telephone me.’”33
A few weeks after Ali returned from Africa, Herbert introduced him to Sonji Roi, a beautiful cocktail waitress who spent her evenings socializing at Chicago nightclubs. During the daytime, she answered phones for Herbert at the office of Muhammad Speaks and occasionally posed for pictures at his photography studio. She had lived a hard life, losing both parents before she was nine years old. When she was a teenager, Sonji became pregnant, dropped out of school, and began working to support her baby. On the night she met Ali, he asked her to marry him. Stunned at his proposal, Herbert warned him that he was making a terrible mistake. Ali did not realize that Herbert had arranged for him to meet Sonji only for a night of fun. Herbert simply wanted her to show the champ a good time. “Man, you don’t marry this girl,” he said. “She works at a cocktail place wearing one of those little bunny things on her behind. You don’t marry no girl like this.”34
The Louisville Sponsoring Group had reached the same conclusion. When they discovered that Ali had become involved with Sonji, they conducted their own investigation and compiled a dossier. They discovered police reports charging her with solicitation. Although the group followed a policy of never interfering with Ali’s personal life, they harbored deep reservations about his relationship with Sonji, doubting the wisdom of his marrying her.35