Three Kings: The Heroic Leadership of Elvis, The Champ, and MLK, Jr. Yosmary Rodriguez, Jennifer Cecilione, Emma Gleckel, Dr. Scott Allison University of Richmond The Hero’s Journey • Joseph Campbell • Comparative Mythologist • Surveyed the mythical stories of antiquity • Enduring effect on literature, film, & television • The Hero’s Journey, or monomyth, consists of different stages including a final stage that includes the hero’s role in transforming society. Muhammad Ali Elvis Presley • Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Muhammad Ali grew up in the segregated South, experiencing racial prejudice and discrimination. In 1954, when he was only 12-yearsold, he discovered his passion for fighting, after getting his bike stolen, and immediately began to learn how to box with trainer Joe Martin. Right away his boxing career began by winning his first amateur fight. • Born in Tupelo, Mississippi Elvis Presley came from a working-class family. In 1954, with the support of Sam Philips, Presley recorded his first single for Sun Studio Records. Right after, in 1955, with the support of his manager, Tom Parker, he signed with RCA Records. • Also known as “The King of Rock n’ Roll,” Elvis Presley is widely recognized for transforming popular music and forever changing norms of appearance and conduct. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up in a ministry family, living in a neighborhood of Black elites. It was toward the end of his education at Morehouse College that he began to develop both spiritually and intellectually, with the guidance of various Morehouse professors ,and gained particular interest in social justice. • Martin Luther King, Jr. is widely recognized as a central figure in the advancement of civil rights for African Americans in the United States. • Also known as “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali revolutionized the sport of boxing through his speed and skills and transformed the role and image of the African American athlete.