Becoming Muhammad Ali

Lucky explains that Cassius never understood why racism existed. When Cassius brought this up to his mother, she explained that there were things he could say or do that he could only do at home or among other African Americans but not in front of white folks. Mrs. Clay also explained to Lucky and Cassius how during slavery, slaveholders would often kill enslaved folks who were smart because their intelligence might lead to rebellion.

For Lucky, who excelled in school, this made him afraid of being seen as dangerous. When he was accepted into a Catholic school in Louisville, he felt scared, but Cassius told him not to be and walked him to school on the first day.

Lucky goes on to recount that everyone liked Cassius, from his teachers to his peers. No one else, however, saw the “serious part of Cassius” like Lucky did. He wanted the world to notice him (131).

On a hot Friday, Cassius sits on the porch with Lucky, trying not to think about the heat. The Clay family has one fan going, but the heat is still smothering. Lucky and Cassius get on their bikes. Rudy sits on Cassius’s handlebars, and they “took off / chasing / the breeze / and my destiny” (134).