In 1964, Cassius Clay announced that he decided to change his name. "Cassius Clay is a slave name," he said (via Yahoo News). He first chose to be called Cassius X, a reference to his friend and mentor Malcolm X, who changed his name for the same reason. Shortly after that, he converted to Islam and changed his name again. "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," Ali explained.
At first, people didn't accept the change and kept calling him Cassius Clay. However, things changed in 1966 in his fight against Ernie Terrell. Although the pair used to get along, Terrell insisted on calling his opponent Cassius. As he pummelled Terrell during the fight, Ali asked him, "What's my name?" (via The Undefeated).
Ali's activism was not only in his name. In 1966, he refused to go to war, saying he would not fight against dark-skinned Asians for a country that despised its own dark-skinned people. His words caused a stir in the media and public opinion.
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