July 29th, 2025, individuals from all over the country and from every walk of life came together in Cleveland to celebrate, discuss, and reinforce the importance of Human Dignity – the bedrock of our families, communities, and nation. While this came together in 2025, its story begins nearly sixty years ago.

In 1967 at the NIEU headquarters in Cleveland, eleven prominent athletes and politicians like Jim Brown, Bill Russell, John Wooten, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came together in a powerful show of unity and courage to speak up on behalf of Muhammad Ali’s right to conscience objection. In doing so, they spoke for the basic human dignity not just of Ali but of themselves and their communities. The summit remains one of the most iconic moments of athlete activism in American history, and it was a blueprint for how athletes and communities can lead lasting change.

They weren’t just defending a boxer, they were standing for dignity, and the right to challenge injustice. That moment became a blueprint for how athletes and communities can lead lasting change.

Back again in 2025, the summit gathered leaders from every sector, not only to reflect, but to recommit—to stand together and build what comes next. A mission to honor the legacy by moving forward—together.

The summit itself may have passed but the mission’s just begun. To support further efforts on this project, reach out to gilmoremarketinggroup@gmail.com.