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Days
In Alabama
It
was no occasion for rejoicing or celebration for Henry and Emma
Owens and their large family when on September 12, 1913, their seventh
child, James Owens, was born. He was just another child that they
would have to feed and raise along with the other children they
had. James passed his early childhood with his family at Alabama,
USA, in the deep south.
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 "No
one called me 'nigger' until I was seven" recalls Jesse
in his book Black Think. It was because Alabama was a place
where the majority of the populace were descendants of slaves. James’s
grandfather was also a slave. This place hardly witnJessed any white
person… John Cannon, the only white, who lived in a big house
on the top of the hill, owned 100 hectares of cotton field. Eight
Negro families used to till the land for him. Henry Owens, was a
big tenant with the largest section of 20 hectares. He managed the
large chunk of land with his four sons. James at the age of seven
used to pluck 100 pounds of cotton a day.
Unhealthy
Childhood
As a child, he never enjoyed good health in Alabama. The other factor detrimental to his health was that the big family lived in a small cardboard house, with no basic facilities like heating. The thin, sickly, and undernourished boy’s condition worsened upon arrival of winter. The winter came down heavily upon him; it was a season when he suffered from pneumonia and chronic bronchial congestion.
Inadequate medication worsened his condition further. Somehow, his mother’s loving care helped him pass that winter. Emma Owens was much concerned about James’ health. She always insisted Henry to move to some northern state where the climatic conditions were better. She dreamed of a better life and prosperity in North, where blacks were finding jobs then. Though stability over there was a big question, the fear of unknown was greater to Henry than fear of poverty. These pressing reasons made him stay back in Alabama. |
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Again,
the next winter his illness aggravated and he was in grave danger.
He coughed blood. This was the year, which also produced a good
cotton crop. It helped the family pay off their debts at Cannon’s
shop. Change in James’s health and an enhanced production of
the crop brought many promising and positive changes with it. One
major change was that the Owens family was no more under Cannon’s
debt. This change also meant Cannon losing hold over his tenant.
It might be for this reason that on one February night in 1921 he
called Henry and proposed the rent change from 50 per cent of the
crop to 60 per cent. This proposal forced Henry – a silent
and obedient tenant to speak out. Jesse Owens depicts the conversation
that released a man tied to his roots in his book Black Think:
Henry finally said, That isn’t fair.
"Fair?"
came the reply. "What does fair have to do with you?"
Those were the words that struck Henry. Next Sunday, after church,
he decided to leave the place where he had toiled for many decades.
Cleveland
– Ohio
The
family moved to Cleveland – Ohio in North America. It was a
new place for all. Cleveland did not bring in the sought after real
prospects. Stability was a big question. Permanent job was difficult
for the Blacks in this part of America and Henry could not find
one. Three brothers of James found a job at the steel plant, whereas
Jamesperformed odd jobs. Cleveland bode well and the northern
climate seemed to suit James, improving his health.
James
to Jesse
James
started schooling in Cleveland at a local elementary school. The
place that helped him earn the name, which the world knew him by,
all his life. At school, when the teacher asked his name he drawled
in southern fashion ‘J.C. Owens, ma’am.’ The teacher
not aware of his southern drawl wrote ‘Jesse Owens’! James
a new student and ‘eager-to-please’ the others did nothing
to correct it and it was Jesse from then onwards.
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