Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts have something surprising in common: They don’t make nice with presidents who diss Black people.
Competing in the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Jesse Owens became the first American track and field athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games. He hadn’t even had time to catch his breath before news spread that Hitler had refused to shake his hand (or anyone else’s). When an American reporter asked Owens about this, he had someone else on his mind.
Owens declared, "Hitler didn't snub me — it was our president who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram." That president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who did not congratulate Owens or any of the 18 Black Americans who competed in the Berlin Olympics.
After the Games, FDR invited only the white Olympians to the White House. And Jesse Owens wasn’t about to let anyone forget it. Jalen Hurts stands in that tradition. Our accomplishments aren't defined by what white people think of them. We are so much more.
Jalen Hurts and Jesse Owens remind us that it’s up to us to celebrate each other. Seeking the approval of white people will get us nowhere, but together, we can celebrate and love one another like there's no tomorrow.