A Discussion Of Jesse Owens In The Berlin Olympic Games

Among many common issues that consume the world today, race is one that has been around for generations. Jesse Owens, a four time Olympic Gold Medalist in track and field, knows about this issue all too well. While attending college at Ohio State University he tied a world record and broke three others. In the 1936 Berlin Games, he broke or equaled 9 Olympic records and set three world records. Outside of track and field, however, Owens was the grandson of slaves and had endured racial battles his entire life. While preparing to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, Owens was bombarded with comments of disapproval from Adolf Hitler, who was completely against Jesse Owens competing. Even today, racism surrounds not only our country, but also our world.

Jesse’s achievements led to the people of Berlin hailing him as a hero. For the Nazi supporters to show respect for an African American was truly something that took Hitler by surprise. As much as it probably infuriated Adolf, I can’t imagine that even for a small second, Hitler did not feel some sort of pride or happiness for what he was just able to witness. Jesse Owens united people of all sorts by simply running a race. However, as much as Hitler, who was across the world, didn’t want him to compete, there were also protests right here in America. Jesse Owens once said “Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President