His mother , Odessa Clay , was a housemaid .
He was born in the American South of 1942 and the segregation era , taking his original name , Cassius Clay , from his father , a sign and mural painter .
Cassius Clay 's mother , Odessa Clay , was a housemaid .
He was born in the American South of 1942 and the segregation era , taking his original name , Cassius Clay , from his father , a sign and mural painter .