The Muhammad Ali Index was launched during the inaugural Ali Compassion Summit in January 2025, sparking a nationwide call to action for a more compassionate America. Centered around Muhammad Ali’s legacy of kindness, justice, and action, the Summit unveiled groundbreaking research through the 2025 Compassion Report and highlighted the transformative power of compassion in tackling division and hate.

Attendees of the inaugural event were encouraged to join the movement by signing the Ali Compassion Pledge, a commitment to fostering unity and understanding.

The inaugural Ali Compassion Summit, organized by the Muhammad Ali Center, took place on January 16, 2025, at Idealist HQ in New York City, on the eve of what would have been Muhammad Ali’s 83rd birthday. Over 100 attendees—including thought leaders, policymakers, philanthropists, and activists—gathered to celebrate the launch of the Muhammad Ali Index and the unveiling of the 2025 Compassion Report. This groundbreaking initiative is designed to measure, predict, and foster compassion across the nation.

Panel discussions from the inaugural Ali Compassion Summit can be seen below.

In this panel at the 2025 Muhammad Ali Compassion Summit, leaders discuss the findings of this year’s Compassion Report and action that can be done on a local level.

Moderator: Mayor Greg Fischer – Mayor of Louisville (2011-2022)

Panelists:

• Eric Castillo – Associate Vice Chancellor for Arts, Culture, and Community Impact at the Alamo Community Colleges District
• Eric Rosand – Executive Director of the Strong Cities Network
• David Kramer – Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute

In this panel at the 2025 Muhammad Ali Compassion Summit, leaders from around the business world explain how compassion is not only good for your heart, but for your wallet.

Moderator: Seth Cohen – Chief Impact Officer of Forbes

Panelists:

• Sol Erdman – Founder of the Center for Collaborative Democracy
• Jessie Tarlov – Co-host of The Five on FOX News
• Liam Elkind – Cofounder of Invisible Hands
• Exploring the financial and economic opportunities of compassion-driven initiatives.

In this panel at the 2025 Muhammad Ali Compassion Summit, panelists explore how youth voices and new trends in technology can shape the state of compassion.

Moderator: Roger McClendon – Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance

Panelists:

• Carrera Kurnik – Cultural Strategist at sparks & honey
• AY Young – Producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur
• Christopher Graves – Founder of The Resonance Code LLC
• Chelsea Miller – CEO of CPM Global
• Exploring how digital platforms and youth voices can drive movements of compassion.

This interactive session from the 2025 Muhammad Ali Compassion Summit provides insight from the Muhammad Ali Index Impact Partners on commitments to becoming champions of compassion.

Moderator: Erin Herbert – Vice President of Education & Programming at the Muhammad Ali Center

Panelists:

• Dr Jeni Stepanek – President & Founding Chair of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation
• Jon Ramer – Cofounder of the Compassion Games