Jesse Owens was a famous athlete who created victory at the Summer Olympics in Berlin in 1936. He was born on September 12, 1913, in the town of Oakville, Alabama, and then moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He was named James Cleveland Owens when he was nine, but his southern accent made his teacher think he called himself Jesse. At East Technical High School, he won three track and field events and later on raced for Ohio State University. Jesse matched one world record in the 100-yard dash and broke three others: the long jump, the 220-yard dash, and the 220-yard low hurdles. Jesse became the first person in Olympic history to win four gold medals in track and field. Regretfully, Jesse Owens died in 1980 because of cancer. His indelible victories created in Olympic history will never be forgotten.
Racial discrimination limits choices for people, so does Jesse Owens. Jesse was born black, so he was treated unfairly like other African Americans. He wasn’t allowed to live on campus during university, and neither when he became an athlete in the Olympics. Jesse received a cold reception in Berlin, he was called racial slurs in public, and received mistreatments by the Berlins. Just because Jesse Owens had black skin, few people would offer him a job, so raced against cars and horses, and he even played for the basketball exhibition team just to earn money. Even though he did make a great success, he wasn’t invited to shake hands with the president. He was a successful athlete, but still a black man, whose chances had to be limited by racial discrimination. This phenomenon has improved nowadays, but is still happening. People like Jesse Owens should not limit their future and career by racial discrimination. Under an environment full of racial discrimination, Jesse Owens did very well on resilience. Jesse Owens had black skin color, so people did not treat him fairly, even though he created victories in Olympic history. When he was in the university, the university didn’t allow Jesse to live on campus. He received praise from people, but it was hard for him to find work after the race. But he was not affected by the unfair rules and treatments, instead he tried to be himself in this environment and didn’t get influenced himself. Jesse Owens will not give up what he loved because of racism. In this harsh and challenging condition for black people, Jesse Owens’s resilience provided him more chance and fulfill to live. It was laborious for Jesse Owens to be a successful athlete. He met many difficulties during his life, which can all influence him. He has to do extra work to pay his tuition, the University did not allow Owens to live on campus, and he received unfair treatments. But these did not deter him. He said, “it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power.” Josse Owens’s good attitude propelled him to success. He has his strong faith and hobby, which is running, and the things he would like to put effort on, outweighs the impacts of racial discrimination. So that he could overcome all the difficulties, be the person he wanted to be, and be successful.
In conclusion, Jesse Owens was a famous athlete who created victory at the Summer Olympics in Berlin in 1936. Racial discrimination limits choices for people, so does Jesse Owens. People like Jesse Owens should not limit their future and career by racial discrimination. Under an environment full of racial discrimination, Jesse Owens did very well on resilience. In this harsh and challenging condition for black people, Jesse Owens’s resilience provided him more chance and fulfill to live. It was laborious for Jesse Owens to be a successful athlete. He has his strong faith and hobby, which is running, and the things he would like to put effort on, outweighs the impacts of racial discrimination. So that he could overcome all the difficulties, be the person he wanted to be, and be successful. His indelible victories created in Olympic history will never be forgotten.
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