[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 226 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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;
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 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
    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>