Odessa Grady Clay | Muhammad Ali's Mother
I am learning about her
“There’s no one who’s been better to me my whole life.” - Muhammad Ali
I was deep into the cobwebs of the internet. AGAIN!
I wanted to know more about Odessa Grady (O’Grady???) Clay, her parents, who was she BEFORE she was Muhammad Ali’s mother.
So off I went - into the abyss!
She has been on my list for a minute and I decided this month I would cover her because she was born February 12, 1917.
Imagine how I felt when I saw April 25, 1917 as her birth date in another article. I kept looking until I found something that made me confident she was indeed born February 12, 1917.
I find Wikipedia to be very useful. BUT, I always make sure to follow the sources.
Well, one of the sources I found was a September 1980 article in The New York Times.
That article was full of information about Muhammad Ali and my favorite was from his cousin Gillie Bell Morehead Plunkett.
When the paragraph started with - “Gillie Bell Morehead Plunkett is not certain of her age. She could be 80 or 90…. she is the keeper of her family’s history” - I knew I found a treasure.
“I’m the oldest living grandchild of Tom Morehead.” - Gillie Bell Morehead Plunkett
She went on to explain that Tom Morehead had 13 children - seven with one wife and six with the other. She was from one side and Odessa (Muhammad Ali’s mother) was from the other side.
Here’s a visual I needed to help me grasp it all….
All of this helped me to understand her MOTHER’S side. I am still not fully clear on her FATHER’S side (John Lewis Grady or O’Grady).
It seems HIS dad (Odessa’s grandfather) is from Ireland - which is why I am not clear on Grady / O’Grady.
Her parents (John & Birdie) separated when she was young.
She dropped out of school young, started doing domestic work, and ended up meeting Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr (Muhammad Ali’s father) when she was 16.
But back to the Moreheads though - her mother’s side of the family - they seemed to be a prominent family. What happened? These are questions I have.
I plan to still dig some more. There are more articles I will be reading and I promise to come back and share what I discover.
If you know any of her story OR if you find yourself in the abyss after this, please share with us in the comments.
The 1980 New York Times article can be found HERE.
“Someday I’d like to dig up everything that can be found about all the people I’m descended from.” - Muhammad Ali | The New York Times | 1980
THANKS SO MUCH for being here.
Hugs, Love, and Gratitude Y’all!
Sally Mc
I can’t wait for a follow up to this 💕