III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 226 

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of James Cleveland ‘‘Jesse’’ 

Owens and honoring him for his accomplishments and steadfast commitment to promoting the civil rights of all people. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 

Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. KIRK, Ms. LANDRIEU, and Mr. SESSIONS) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of James 

Cleveland ‘‘Jesse’’ Owens and honoring him for his accomplishments and steadfast commitment to promoting 

the civil rights of all people. 

Whereas James Cleveland ‘‘Jesse’’ Owens was born on September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama; 

Whereas Jesse Owens, the youngest of 10 children of sharecroppers and the grandson of a slave, moved with his 

family at the age of 9 to Cleveland, Ohio as part of the 

Great Migration; 

Whereas, as a student at Fairmount Junior High School, 

Jesse Owens broke junior high school world records for 

the high jump and the broad jump; 


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•SRES 226 IS 

Whereas Jesse Owens attended East Technical High School 

in Cleveland, Ohio where, as a member of the track team, 

he placed first in 75 of the 79 races he entered during 

his senior year, set the world record in the 220-yard 

dash, and tied the world record in the 100-yard dash; 

Whereas Jesse Owens, the ‘‘Buckeye Bullet’’, matriculated at 

the Ohio State University in 1933 after attracting national attention as a high school athlete; 

Whereas, while attending classes, training, and breaking a 

number of track and field records, Jesse Owens worked 

various jobs, including as an elevator operator at the 

Ohio State Capitol, a waiter, a gas station attendant, and 

a library employee; 

Whereas, due to his race, Jesse Owens was barred from living 

on campus at the Ohio State University, denied service 

at restaurants near the University, and forced to stay in 

segregated hotels; 

Whereas, on May 25, 1935, in a 45-minute period during the 

Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, 

Michigan, Jesse Owens, competing with an injured back, 

tied the world record in the 100-yard dash and set new 

world records in the long jump, the 220-yard dash, and 

the 220-yard low hurdles; 

Whereas, as of the 2012 Summer Olympics, only two men 

had surpassed the long jump record Jesse Owens set in 

1935; 

Whereas, at the 1936 Summer Olympics, Jesse Owens won 

4 gold medals, tied the world record in the 100-meter 

dash, and set new Olympic records in the 200-meter race, 

the long jump, and the 400-meter relay; 


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•SRES 226 IS 

Whereas Jesse Owens’ resilience and heroic performance at 

the 1936 Summer Olympics exposed the struggle against 

racial bigotry and publicly defied Adolf Hitler’s intention 

of proving that ethnicity was a predetermining factor for 

achievement; 

Whereas the record-breaking performance by Jesse Owens at 

the 1936 Summer Olympics was never recognized by 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt or President Harry S. 

Truman, but was later recognized in 1955 by President 

Dwight D. Eisenhower, who referred to Jesse Owens as 

an ‘‘Ambassador of Sport’’; 

Whereas, following his Olympic career, Jesse Owens resumed 

his commitment to public service by spending much of his 

time working with community groups such as the Boys 

Clubs of America, chronicling his personal story to magnify the importance of equality and civil rights; 

Whereas, during the 1950s, Jesse Owens worked with the 

Department of State to promote democracy abroad as an 

Ambassador of Goodwill during the Cold War and advocated for socioeconomic equality, individuality, freedom, 

and love of country; 

Whereas Jesse Owens was awarded the Presidential Medal of 

Freedom by President Gerald R. Ford in 1976 and the 

Living Legend Award by President Jimmy Carter in 

1979, and was posthumously awarded the Congressional 

Gold Medal by President George H.W. Bush in 1990; 

and 

Whereas the integrity, courage, and strength of character 

that Jesse Owens demonstrated remain an example for 

all people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 226 IS 

1 (1) honors and celebrates the 100th anniversary 

2 of the birth of James Cleveland ‘‘Jesse’’ Owens; and 

3 (2) supports and encourages the people of the 

4 United States to recognize the contributions of Jesse 

5 Owens to the Olympic Games, collegiate athletics, 

6 international race relations, and democracy. 

Æ 


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