WHO WAS JESSE OWENS?
James Cleveland Owens was born on September 12th 1913, in Oakvile, Alabama. His parents, Henry and Emma Owens, had already had 9 kids. For short, James Cleveland was called "J.C". Young J.C lived in a house were money was very limited. He mostly grew up near farmland. In 1922, J.C and his family move to Cleveland, Ohio. When J.C started school in Cleveland the name Jesse was born. J.C came into the class room for the first time and teacher asked him his name. Because he had a southern drawl, when he said J.C, the teacher thought he said Jesse, and the name would always stick. (http://www.jesseowens.com/about/)