#18 Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympic Games
The grandchild of slaves won four golds at Hitler's showcase Olympics. The photos of his smiles are the beautiful part.
Anyone who has ever had a talent, and looked for a meritocratic environment to develop it in, would be cheering for Jesse Owens.
The grandchild of slaves, and the tenth child of sharecroppers, he won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The games were intended to be a showcase of Aryan superiority by the Germans who were hosting.
Jesse’s phenomenal performance, and the other German athletes who supported him in friendship, remain a testament to the beauty of inclusion and friendship in athletic performance that echo through time.
Sometimes the best among us, and our best performances, are withheld through fear or bigotry. Jesse showed the world that this is not always the case. I love the photos of his smiles during this performance.
They are truly genuine and speak to real joy.
