MUST SEE: JESSE OWENS FILM PREMIERES ON PBS

There are so many layers to the legacy of Olympic gold medalist, Jesse Owens. Thanks to a new film on PBS, we can now learn so much more about the movement that was growing in the U.S. to organize a boycott of the Olympics over Germany’s growing anti-Semitism, and how racial tensions in Europe and the U.S. disrupted the life of such an unbelievable athlete.



“The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens’ grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus. The story of the 22-year-old son of a sharecropper who triumphed over adversity to become a hero and world champion, Jesse Owens is also about the elusive, fleeting quality of fame and the way Americans idolize athletes when they suit our purpose, and forget them once they don’t.”



“Upbeat, positive, and determined, Owens gamely tried anything and everything — from running against horses for money to operating a dry cleaning business — to provide for his family. As an athlete Jesse Owens could compete — and win — against any man. But once he stepped off the track the same would not hold true.”