#5: Jesse Owens’ Brave Accomplishments
Jesse Owens has gone down in history as one of the greatest Olympic athletes. He won four gold medals, which is impressive in and of itself. However, it’s the context in which he won those medals that made his accomplishments so historic. Jesse, a Black American athlete, competed in the 1936 Olympic Games, held in Berlin, Germany.
At the time, Germany was ruled by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime. We all know what Hitler’s ideology was about. The infamous ruler wanted to use the Olympic Games to show off the “superiority” of white athletes. Jesse Owens’ talent and four gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter, the long jump, and the 4x100m relay really threw a wrench in his plan. You can watch footage of Jesse Owens competing and winning the gold. It’s absolutely chilling to watch, but Jesse remained cool, calm, and collected.