Page 40 - All About History - Issue 09-14

Heroes & Villains

Jesse

Owens Sign opposite the Sojourner Truth homes,

a new US federal housing project in Detroit,
which housed black tenants
A culture of
discrimination
An athlete who fought poverty, discrimination and
Segregation
some of the best Olympians in the world to become During the early stages of Owens’ career the
US was deeply intolerant of African-Americans
the fastest man alive and other minority races. Segregation was
the driving force of this discrimination, black
Written by Chris Fenton people were not allowed to attend better
funded whites-only schools, be allowed to
walk into whites-only shops or even drink in
whites-only bars.
Poverty in the
Great Depression
Owens’ family was poor and since his father
was a labourer the Great Depression hit his
n 1936 Jesse Owens lined up Owens broke Owens had always been a keen livelihood hard. They were forced to move
alongside his competitors the 100m world sportsman, enjoying baseball, from Oakville in Alabama to Cleveland in Ohio
at the starting line for the but lacking any money for in search of work in what became known as
100 metres final at Berlin’s record before the expensive sport equipment the ‘great migration’ of poor Americans from
I Olympia Stadion. A stunning Olympics in June 1936, he took up athletics at his the economically depressed southern states to
the industrial north.
10.3 seconds later and he was at 10.2 seconds. The new school. He immediately
the fastest man alive. As he shone on the track and his US politics
stood on the victor’s podium the record would stand high school coach, Charles Riley, US politics, especially in the south, were
men around him gave the Nazi until 1956 saw natural ability he had rarely tied up in the problem of segregation and
salute. Owens knew a black man seen in other students. He coached the calls to end discrimination against black
winning gold in the 100 metres was an Owens in sprinting and long jump people through constant protests. Despite this
embarrassment to the Nazi officials standing at the beginning of the school day so the increased pressure, politicians in Washington
around him, but he couldn’t have cared less as he young student could continue to work evening jobs were reluctant to act since it would cost them
precious votes from a white middle class
looked at the stars and stripes hoisted into position and support his family. After winning the national fearful of militant civil-rights groups.
and remembered the reason he became an athlete high school championships, he was accepted into
in the first place. He’d left his home and family in Ohio State University on a sports scholarship but Black power
Cleveland, Ohio behind, suffered a grueling nine- once he got there reality quickly kicked in; he was Throughout Owens’ career, black civil-rights
day sea voyage from New York to Hamburg in third not allowed to sleep in halls of residence with white groups became increasingly vocal about
class and endured years of training to do one thing; students and he and other black students were demands for justice and equality. Owens
become somebody. forced to stay in a boarding house along the main himself became affiliated with a number of
Born in Oakville, Alabama in 1913, Owens’ family street where no restaurants would serve them. pro-civil rights organisations, including some
militant groups that did not reject violence
suffered the discrimination and segregation that Despite the prejudices held within the town, Owens as part of their struggle. FBI director Edgar
thousands of other black families endured during blossomed as a top athlete. College coach Larry Hoover even had a file on these associations
this deeply intolerant period. Owens was expected Snyder tuned his technique, fixed his slow starts and placed Owens under surveillance.
to work to earn his keep and at a young age he and made him run like a pro. He told his protégé
was holding down jobs alongside going to school. to sprint using as little of his feet as possible so he A changing world
In 1922, Owens’ father decided it would be best for could glide across the track. After his success at the With the outbreak of WWII and the
his family to move north in search of jobs. The US Olympic tryouts in New York where he broke the devastation it brought, the old colonial
Deep South with its racist intolerance gave families world record, he said goodbye to his family; he was empires of Europe died and USA emerged as
the dominant western power. Owens became
like the Owens very few opportunities to grow and one of only 19 African-American athletes on the US a peace ambassador for the world’s new
thrive. They moved to Ohio in search of opportunity Olympic team of over 350. superpower, spreading the ideals of freedom
away from the poverty and racism of the former Owens and the other competitors knew Hitler and liberty throughout the globe in the Fifties
slave states. didn’t want to see anyone other than his Aryan and Sixties.
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