A Comparison Of Racism In The Civil Rights Movement

Racism. Racism is the belief that one race is superior to another based on prejudice and discrimination. As Nelson Mandela once said, “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion”. Racism can sprout off of jealousy, competitiveness, etc. Just as it has over the years in the competitive world of sports. Racism in sports was mostly present before and during the Civil Rights Movement, when African americans were in the search for equal rights.Since sports attracted racism, it was sure to be found at the Olympics. Although, some of the African athletes found a way to show their “superiors” that they were just as big a threat as an other competitor. David Albritton, Cornelius Johnson,

In junior high he beat both the long and high jump records with ease. He had jumped 6ft. In the high jump and roughly 23ft. in in the long jump. Jesse Owens then went to Cleveland East Technical High School to further his education and running career. There he continued to flourish in track and field. He attended the Ohio state championships three years in a row, winning all the major events. By senior year Jesse Owens was a force to be reckoned with. At a National Interscholastic meet in Chicago Jesse set a high school world record in the 100 yd. dash and 220 yd. dash. He had run the 100 yd. dash in just 9.4 seconds and the 220 yd. dash in 20.7 seconds! Due to his many athletic accomplishments, many colleges were looking to recruit the young Jesse Owens. Ultimately, Jesse choose to go to Ohio State University where he met his coach Larry Snyder. Snyder acted as a mentor and support system for Jesse Owens. Snyder led Jesse to participate in the Big Ten Championships of 1935. At the championships he was able to set three world records and tie a fourth in 45 minutes. Jesse Owens success at the Big Ten Championships drove him to try out for the Olympic team. Jesse made the team and was able to participate in the 1936 Olympic

Some of the awards he has won are Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded ot him in 1976, and being inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983. Although track and field was a large part of Jesse Owens life he also had a family at the time. He married his wife Ruth Solomon in 1935 just before the Big Ten Championships. Together they had three daughters named Gloria, Beverly, and Marlene. Ruth and Jesse were married for about 48 years. Unfortunately, Ruth died in 2001 of heart failure. Jesse Owens however, died 20 years earlier in Tuscon, Arizona on March 31st,1980 due to lung failure. He was said to have smoked a pack of cigerettes a day for a good portion of his life. Even though Jesse passed away, his story lived on when a movie based off of his life was produced in 2016. The movie was called Race and with the help of Jesse’s three daughters depicted how Jesse became one of the most known athletes in American