The Muhammad Ali Center has announced the recipients of its 2025 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, honoring individuals whose work reflects the spirit and legacy of the legendary boxer and global humanitarian.
Leading the next generation of changemakers is Los Angeles native Zuriel Oduwole, a 22-year-old education advocate, filmmaker, and peace mediator, who will receive the prestigious award in the 30 and Under category. She will be honored for her exceptional work empowering girls through education, conflict prevention through mediation, and amplifying youth voices around the world.
Oduwole’s global impact began early. At just 10 years old, she was already addressing students in schools across Europe, Africa and the Caribbean on the power of education. Over the past decade, she has met with 36 presidents and prime ministers to advocate for policy changes that support girl-child education, emphasizing socio-economic mitigation in practice, and she has also spoken directly to more than 53,600 youths across 23 countries including in Jamaica, Egypt, South Africa and in the US, over 16,000 screaming youths at the SAP center in San Jose – California.
In one of her most remarkable achievements, Oduwole met with Mozambican President Felipe Nyusi in 2018 to raise concerns about child marriage in the country. Following a year of sustained engagement, Mozambique formally outlawed child marriage in 2019, a policy shift that improved the lives of over 1.1 million girls.
Her recognition at the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards marks her third global honor in just three years. In 2022, she received the 8th UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Leadership Award in New York, presented by the former UN Secretary-General himself. In 2024, she was honored with the Forbes Women Leadership Award, in Johannesburg.
Joining her on the stage this November in Louisville, Kentucky, is Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in the experienced category.
Under his leadership, the $16 billion philanthropy has expanded its global footprint and sharpened its focus on equity and social justice across 10 global regions.
The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards now in their 12th year, celebrates individuals who, like Ali, are driven by compassion and an unwavering commitment to bettering humanity. One of the awardees last year in 2024 was businessman and NBA hall of famer, Shaquille O’Neal.
As Ali once said, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” In honoring Zuriel Oduwole, Darren Walker and others, the Muhammad Ali Center continues to spotlight those who are paying that rent with vision, courage, and action.
