Muhammad Ali and Mom &Dad

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, grew up in a supportive and loving family. His parents, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay, played significant roles in shaping the future boxing legend's values and determination.

Cassius Sr. was a billboard painter and muralist, known for his outspoken personality and artistic skills. His creativity and boldness left a mark on young Cassius, who would later adopt a similar larger-than-life persona in the ring. Odessa, a household domestic worker, was a devout Baptist, deeply rooted in her faith. Her strong sense of morality and dignity influenced Ali's commitment to justice and later his conversion to Islam.

The Clay household was one of modest means, but it was filled with warmth and encouragement. Despite living in a segregated America, Odessa and Cassius Sr. instilled in their sons the values of self-respect, hard work, and resilience. Ali would carry these lessons throughout his life, becoming not only a boxing champion but also a global symbol for racial equality, humanitarianism, and spiritual dedication.

Ali often spoke about his admiration for his mother, crediting her with his kind nature. His father’s assertive demeanor was also evident in Ali’s confidence and fearless spirit, both inside and outside the ring. Together, they nurtured one of the most iconic athletes in history.

One of three rooms renting for $4 monthly in which eight people, four children and four adults, lived. The house was not owned by a coal mining company and is not rented through any company, but by an estate that rents the house to a miner located in Cary, Bell County, KY. (1946)
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In 1875, Oliver Lewis became the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby, America's longest continuous sporting event. Lewis was born in 1856 in Fayette Country, Kentucky, to his parents Goodson and Eleanor Lewis. Lewis was born free, but there is little known about his parents or family. Lewis was only 19 years old when he entered the first Kentucky Derby. The race was held at what was then the Louisville Jockey Club on May 17, 1875, but is now known as Churchill Downs.

Ten thousand spectators watched this first race. Lewis rode a horse named Aristide, which was one of two colts entered by their owner, H. Price McGrath of Jessamine, Kentucky. The other horse, Chesapeake, was ridden by William Henry. Although the same owner entered both horses, Chesapeake was favored to win the $2,850 purse, and Lewis was told that his job was to lead most of the race to tire out the other horses. Out of the fifteen jockeys in the field, at this first Kentucky Derby, thirteen of them were African American. Aristide's trainer, Ansel Williamson, was also an African American.

Oliver Lewis followed his instructions and was pushing most of the field while trailing a horse named Volcano for most of the race. However, in the last stretch, Chesapeake was unexpectedly far back in the pack, while Aristide and Volcano were running neck and neck for first place. Lewis and Aristide pulled away near the finish line and won the race by two lengths. With that victory, Lewis became the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Later that season, Lewis came in second in the Belmont Stakes in New York and won three more races at the Louisville Jockey Club, riding Aristide in all of them. He would never ride in the Kentucky Derby again, however, and would retire after that racing season for unknown reasons.

After retiring, Lewis worked for a short time as a day laborer, but then began providing handicapping tables and racing forms to bookies. He later became a bookie himself, which was legal in Kentucky at that time. Lewis married, although his wife's name is unknown. The couple had six children, including James, who inherited his lucrative bookmaking business. Oliver Lewis died in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1924 at the age of 68.