"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars...." This quote, said by Charles Austin Beard, can be taken in may ways. In this case the quote is being used to show how it can relate to the dark and light times of the 1930's. In this era, when blacks were thought to be weak and useless, Jesse Owens showed his strengths in the 1936 Olympics in Germany when he out ran the master race. Since Jesse Owens was black, and the master race was white, German, and wealthy; when Jesse Owens ran one of the fastest times people had ever seen everyone all around the world had to take a min. to think about if there really was a superior race ("Jesse Owens Track and field Star"). Jesse Owens was just one of many stars to shine in the dark. He brought the bright inspiration the world needed.
             Sometimes people don't realize the impression the positive influences in our lives can alter the things we achieve. For Jesse Owens there were numerous fans that influenced him as they cheered for him when he finished the race winning the gold for his country, fans, and most importantly himself (McRa 7). Although this would certainly make a huge impression on someone hearing all the applause from all the watching fans, this was just a minor influence to Jesse. The real inspiration was from the people he had known long before the 1936 Olympics. Jesse Owens found the most valuable encouragement from Joe Louis who was also a black athlete struggling against the segregation of these times. Joe Louis was the defending heavy weight boxing champion and Owens was the defending four gold medal winner so the friendship was only expected some would say, but friendship was formed as solid as a rock (Adler 15). The inspiration of one on another became the roots for the achievements. Charles Riley was also a great influence on Jesse Owens. Riley was an inspiration because he was not only Jesse's first track coach, he was also the first whi...