The Jesse Owens Story

[on hearing that Jesse had received $10,000 from an unknown benefactor in 1936]

Lew Gilbert:
What is the straight story behind that money, Mr. Owens?

Jesse Owens:
You want the truth? I was paid $10,000 to support Alfred M. Landon's campaign againt Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Lew Gilbert:
Were you ashamed of that?

Jesse Owens:
Some people thought I should be, but I wasn't. Celebrities endorse cigarettes, banks, automobiles. Why was it wrong for me to endorse a Republican? Besides, it wasn't just for the money. I believed Landon would be better for the Black man.

Lew Gilbert:
What made you think so?

Jesse Owens:
Adolf Hitler made my name a household word when he wouldn't shake hands with me. President Roosevelt didn't shake hands with me, either. Governor Landon did.

Mel Walker:
Being a champion meant staying at the same hotel as the White athletes, at least in New York. It did not mean going in the *front* door.

[Black athletes entering through loading dock and riding in freight elevator to their rooms]