Khalilah Ali

Last updated
Khalilah Camacho Ali
Born
Belinda Boyd

(1950-03-17) March 17, 1950 (age 74)
Occupation(s) Humanitarian, author, actor
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1967;div. 1976)​
Rene Gonzalez Camacho
​
​
(m. 1989;died 1993)​
Children4

Khalilah Camacho Ali (born Belinda Boyd; March 17, 1950) is an American actress, also known for being the former wife of boxer Muhammad Ali. [1]

Contents

Personal life

Belinda Boyd was born on March 17, 1950. She was raised in Chicago where she attended Islamic schools. [2] Her parents were members of the Nation of Islam. [3] Her father, Brother Raymond, was the first lieutenant of the FOI for the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and her mother, Sister Inez (Aminah) worked in the temple as a secure person and the companion of the First Lady of the nation, Sister Clara Muhammad. This led her to live a different life than most as she was brought up close to the Royal Family because her parents were incredibly busy. [4] While most organizations like the Nation of Islam women are often silenced, Belinda Boyd is included in the long list of prominent women in the NOI that worked to negotiate with patriarchy by having to analyze their husbands dispositions to be able to guide them into success. [5] As a strict member of the NOI, Belinda Boyd lived a strict life under Elijah Muhammad's moral teachings and “therefore remained a virgin till marriage, never been to a movie, never even out alone in the dark without her parents, never traveled by bus, [and] never smoked” before she married her first husband Muhammad Ali on August 18, 1967, at the age of 17. [4] [1] She claims the marriage was arranged by her Muslim parents. [6] In an interview with NBC 6, Boyd recounted meeting Ali when she was 10 years old at her hometown mosque. "He said, 'Listen here little girl. This is my name. Imma be famous. You need to keep that 'cause it's gone be worth a lot of money,'" Boyd said, mimicking Ali. “You'll never be famous with that name. And, I walked away," Boyd said. [7]

After their marriage, she, like Ali, changed her name to Khalilah Ali, though she was still called Belinda by old friends and family. When Ali's evasion of the draft cost him his boxing title in 1967 (a decision later overturned by the Supreme Court), Khalilah supported him emotionally and financially. [8] They had a tumultuous marriage with Ali's infidelities and she accused him of being an absentee father. [2] In 1974, Ali began an affair with his future wife Veronica Porché which resulted in a confrontation between Khalilah and Veronica in Manila. [6] In January 1977, Khalilah divorced Ali. [9] After their bitter divorce she said, "I left him because he wasn't what he said he was, because of his lack of morals and disrespect to the family. I don't think he deserves the name Muhammad Ali, and I'm going to call him Cassius Clay from now on." [2]

The couple had four children, Maryum "May May" (b. 1968), twins Jamillah and Rasheda (b. 1970), and Muhammad Ali Jr. (b. 1972). During their marriage, Ali had multiple children from extramarital affairs including Miya in 1972, and Khaliah in 1974,. [10] Rasheda married Robert Walsh and has two sons, Biaggio Ali Walsh (b. 1998) and Nico Ali Walsh (b. 2000). [11]

Khalilah remarried in the 1980s and divorced twice more. [12]

In 2024, Ali announced that she backed Donald Trump in that year's presidential election. She explained, "I'm voting for Trump, I don't care what nobody believes, I don't care what nobody says, I don't care what you think, whatever. I've studied what Trump wants to do. I've studied what Trump wants to make change. I saw what Trump has tried to do. And people who just want to be a hater, they don't get information. I wear my Trump hat every day. I don't care about what you think. Half my family are Democrats. Do I care? No. But we still family." [13]

Career

She studied karate, and by 1977, earned a third degree black belt. [9] Khalilah studied under Jim Kelly and Steve Saunders. [9] She eventually earned her ninth degree black belt. [14]

She appeared on the cover of Ebony Magazine seven times. [14] She appeared in the Jane Fonda film The China Syndrome . [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Bitter About Ali ('i Call Him Cassius Clay'), Ex-Wife Khalilah Forges a Life of Her she now lives in Liverpool Own". people.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Bitter About Ali ('i Call Him Cassius Clay'), Ex-Wife Khalilah Forges a Life of Her Own". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  3. ↑ "Remembering Muhammad Ali as a husband and father". New York Post. 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  4. 1 2 Taylor, Ula Yvette (2017-10-09). The Promise of Patriarchy. University of North Carolina Press. doi:10.5149/northcarolina/9781469633930.001.0001. ISBN   978-1-4696-3393-0.
  5. ↑ Nasser, Aisha (2021). "Reading the Women of the Nation of Islam: A Feminist Review." Resources for Gender and Women's Studies". Women's Studies International Forum. 41 (1). doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2006.04.004. ISSN   0277-5395. ProQuest   2565690329.
  6. 1 2 "After Their Chilla in Manila, Belinda Ali Launches a New Career—Alone". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  7. ↑ "The Secrets of Ali: Former Wife of Boxing Champ Tells All". nbcmiami.com.
  8. ↑ "Muhammed Ali's Ex-Wife, Khalilah Camacho Ali, Opens Up About Their Marriage". Huffington Post. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  9. 1 2 3 Kisner, Ron (September 1977). "Ebony". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company: 82. ISSN   0012-9011.
  10. ↑ Foster, Peter; Allen, Nick (2016-06-04). "Muhammad Ali's tangled love life leaves troubled legacy". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  11. ↑ "Chatting with Biaggio Ali-Walsh, Cal recruit and grandson of Muhammad Ali". SI.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  12. ↑ Francisco Alvarado. "Khalilah Camacho-Ali Stood by Muhammad Ali Through Exile and Triumph". New Times Broward-Palm Beach.
  13. ↑ Salguero, Armando, "Muhammad Ali's Ex-Wife Is Going To Vote For Donald Trump", Outkick , via Fox News , 29 August 2024
  14. 1 2 Francisco Alvarado. "Khalilah Camacho-Ali was in the Champ's corner through some of boxing's greatest moments". Miami New Times.
  15. ↑ "Bitter About Ali ('i Call Him Cassius Clay'), Ex-Wife Khalilah Forges a Life of Her Own".
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