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Maryum Ali
Social Worker, Activist & Author
Maryum Ali
Social Worker, Activist & Author
Biography
When Maryum was a child, her father Muhammad Ali would often ask her, "What is your purpose?" She would give the same response, “I want to help people.” For over a decade, Maryum has worked with and provided services to youth and families in underserved communities.
She has been a Director of social services programs and a Regional Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction & Youth Development in Los Angeles. In 2016, the A&E Network heard about her work and invited her to participate in their ground-breaking docuseries, 60 Days In, where she spent two months in a real jail as an undercover inmate in order to make recommendations on jail reform.
For the past seven years, Maryum has been a Public Speaker for social and human services organizations and departments; sharing thought-provoking stories about working with people impacted by institutional disparities, high rates of violence and other social issues. As an advocate for Parkinson’s disease awareness and research, Maryum gives presentations about her father’s journey with Parkinson's disease.
Speaker Videos
Muhammad Ali Memorial
Helping Kids Find Paths to Great Futures
Speech Topics
Parkinson's Disease: How It Affected My Father & Family
Muhammad Ali was in his late thirties when he and his family began to notice some symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Being only in his thirties, doctors thought it was just the normal "punch drunkenness" that a lot of boxers get. As a result, her father was misdiagnosed for almost 10 years.
As an advocate for Parkinson’s disease (PD) awareness and research, Maryum tells a personal story about how her father dealt with Parkinson's and her family's experience, beginning with his symptoms in the early days to his eventual diagnosis. Since symptoms vary, Ali educates audiences about the importance of seeing the right doctors when you know something doesn't feel right and the things you can do to live as normal of a life as possible, if diagnosed. Her inspirational and informative talk includes a visual presentation with photos of various aspects of Muhammad Ali's journey with PD. Topics include:
- Ali Before PD
- Family Involvement
- The Symptoms
- The Impact of Optimism
- Misdiagnosis & PD Diagnosis
- Improving Quality of Life
- Challenges & Overcoming Challenges
- The Importance of PD Research
My Journey Working with At-Risk Populations
Maryum is a Social Worker with fifteen years of experience in juvenile delinquency prevention and youth development, working with over three hundred youth and their families. She has served as a Director of gang prevention programs and as a Regional Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction & Youth Development in the City of Los Angeles.
Maryum shares thought-provoking stories about her passion for working with people impacted by institutional disparities, high rates of violence and other social issues. She talks about the ups and downs experienced in this field and how to overcome challenges. Maryum shares some of the best practices in being a collaborative partner with clients as they are on paths to understanding the greatness that lies within them. She also talks about how her father's influenced her decision to become a Social Worker.
The Life & Legacy of Muhammad Ali: A Daughter's Perspective
Maryum gives a daughter's perspective on the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali as well as the lessons that can be learned from a champion boxer, civil rights activist, humanitarian and man of faith. She offers an I AM ALI documentary film screening and Q&A session as part of this keynote. I AM ALI is an intimate and heart-warming look at the man behind the legend, as we've never seen Ali before. This inspirational story is told through exclusive, unprecedented access to Ali's personal archive of audio journals combined with touching interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends.
Testimonials
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