Jesse and Me Go Running

Despite Covid lockdowns in Melbourne during 2020 and 2021,there was plenty of time for running and thinking. For those who delight in both, here is some food for thought.

Jesse Owens got his street cred when he broke three world track records in one day and, being pushed for time, he crammed them into 45 minutes! Imagine putting that in your Outlook calendar. The next year he competed in the first televised Olympics in 1936 at Berlin and picked up four gold medals including world records.

He was one of 10 kids born to an African American couple at the end of the Spanish flu epidemic. Despite bronchial illness in his pre-teens he picked his share of cotton so the family got by. He was able to get an athletic scholarship that led him into top level competition. That covered schooling but sponsorship for a black athlete in those times did not exist. This changed when he arrived in Berlin and was presented with his own Adidas shoes by a gentleman with the name of “Adi Dassler”. Adi was a Jew with as much hope of sitting in Hitler’s arena as a Collingwood supported getting into Suncorp during Covid.

“Hitler didn’t snub me – it was our president who snubbed me”. Several witnesses report the Fuhrer’s personal handshake and salute to an amazing athlete. On return to the US, commemorative events included the Waldorf Astoria affording Jesse a ride in the freight elevator to the function floor, as he could not use the elevator for white folks . Throughout his career he ate in black only diners and stayed in coloured accommodation. President FDR made no recognition of his achievements or offered any collegiate or financial reward. This was left to Jimmy Carter, a year before Jesse died in 1980. Despite all this, he remained positive and when he looked at the black power salute at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 commented

“What for? No one can put dollars in your hand when it is closed, keep the hand of friendship open and follow the money”.

So next time you round the straight and head for home, the hot breath on your shoulder might be Jesse saying:

“Show them how it feels

With a clean set of heels

It’s TIME to put your shoulders back

Throw caution to the wind

It’s TIME to put the hammer down

And get them feet OFF the ground!”