[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 226 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d 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

                           December 16, 2014

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to with an amended preamble

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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;
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;
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 the 32nd President of the United States 
        or the 33rd President of the United States, but was later recognized in 
        1955 by the 34th President of the United States, 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 the 38th 
        President of the United States in 1976 and the Living Legend Award by 
        the 39th President of the United States in 1979, and was posthumously 
        awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the 41st President of the United 
        States 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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors and celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 
        birth of James Cleveland ``Jesse'' Owens; and
            (2) supports and encourages the people of the United States 
        to recognize the contributions of Jesse Owens to the Olympic 
        Games, collegiate athletics, international race relations, and 
        democracy.
                                 <all>