Federal Communications Commission Secretary Marlene Dortch is the granddaughter of the late four-time Olympic gold medalist and Ohio State University track star Jesse Owens. Dortch was the keynote speaker at a recent Black History Month event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She spoke about his life and legacy.
Owens broke several records at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. She thinks one of the hardest things he faced in his life was returning from Germany as a world-class athlete dealing with racism in the U.S.
dortch-2_1936_12.mp3
Dortch says her grandfather embodied the triumph of the human spirit.