A Tribute to Track Star Jesse Owens

Image via Wikipedia

When I was about 12 or so, somebody bought me a book about a young track phenomena named James Cleveland Owens. Many of you may have read about him before (possibly in History Class?) Jesse was born to a poor sharecropper family in 1913 and according to the mini-bio I read about him he described his childhood home as “wooden planks thrown together”.

He went by J.C. until one of his teachers called him “Jesse” on his first day of school, it stuck and he had the nickname he would carry the rest of his life.

The reason Jesse is an inspiration to me is because he never let anything beat him down. In the 1936 Olympics in Germany, he shattered the longheld stereotypes and prejudices of an entire nation. He went on to win four gold medals. I found a clip on youtube I thought was worthy of Sharing.

(Thank you Harshkumar11 for posting the clip) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDkaOSGDweU

If you stay strong and never waiver, ANYTHING is possible.

I hope Jesse’s an inspiration to you as well, God Bless.