Your parents gave you your first name. It might be the same as one of your parent’s names, or one of your grandparent’s. Or something completely different.
Your last name may say something about where in the world your ancestors came from. Have you ever thought about changing your name? Why do you think someone would want to do that? Muhammad Ali did it twice.

◀ Muhammad Ali (far left) began life in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. He was named after his father, who himself was named after a 19th-century farmer, abolitionist, and second cousin of a Kentucky senator, Henry Clay. (An abolitionist is someone who favors the abolition, or ending, of a practice. In the 19th century, abolitionists favored the abolition of slavery.) Cassius’s mother, Odessa Lee Clay, was the granddaughter of an Irish immigrant, Abe Grady.

▲ Muhammad Ali is said to be the greatest boxer of all time. How he got there is a story that begins with a red and white bicycle. Cassius was 12 years old, and he loved that bicycle. One day the bike was stolen from outside a local recreation center. When Cassius and his father reported the theft, Cassius met officer Joe Martin. While talking to Martin, Cassius promised to “whup” the person who took his bike. Martin suggested Cassius first learn how to fight. That was the beginning. Martin happened to know something about boxing because he ran a gym in the basement of the center, and it had a boxing ring. Soon, Martin would have a new and devoted student. It took only six weeks for Cassius to win his first fight.
Boxing was on Cassius’s mind whether he was in or out of the ring. To improve his moves, he asked his brother, Rudy, to throw rocks at him so he could practice dodging them. Around this time, he was featured on Tomorrow’s Champions, a local television show that his trainer, Joe Martin, helped produce. ▶


◀ As a teenager, Cassius also trained with Fred Stoner Sr. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Cassius worked with Stoner. This is where he learned the science of boxing – the moves and footwork that enabled him to box with the grace of a dancer. Did Cassius love to train? This is what he later said about it: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” And that he did.

▲ The year was 1960. Cassius Clay was 18 years old and relatively unknown when he represented the U.S. at the Olympics in Italy. Even so, he won a gold medal for boxing. “I didn’t take that medal off for 48 hours,” he told reporters. “I even wore it to bed. . . .” All the joy in the world didn’t soften the blow when he was refused service at a Louisville, Kentucky, restaurant because of his race. In a later newspaper article, Clay’s first wife remembered him saying this about the incident:
I was young, Black Cassius Marcellus Clay, who had won a gold medal for his country. I went to downtown Louisville to a five-and-dime store that had a soda fountain. I sat down at the counter to order a burger and soda pop. The waitress looked at me. ‘Sorry, we don’t serve coloreds,’ she said. I was furious. I went all the way to Italy to represent my country, won a gold medal, and now I come back to America and can’t even get served at a five-and-dime store. I went to a bridge, tore the medal off my neck and threw it into the river. That gold medal didn’t mean a thing to me if my Black brothers and sisters were treated wrong in a country I was supposed to represent.


◀ A month after Cassius X won the world heavyweight championship, Elijah Muhammad (center) officially enrolled him in the Nation of Islam. That’s also when Elijah Muhammad gave him the name he would use for the rest of this life – Muhammad Ali, which means “beloved of Allah.” About his new name, Ali remarked “Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God – and I insist people use it when people speak to me and of me.”
Think Piece!
How do you feel about Ali changing his name and the reasons for the change? Discuss your ideas with others.