Tag: black history

The Boy With No Future

His story is the stuff of legend. Raised by sharecroppers in the American South during the Jim Crow era, Jesse Owens was born without any real prospects in the world. By dint of the color of his skin, he wouldn’t have access to a decent education, would never be able to attend a good college, and would more than likely end up working the land like his parents.

Be sure to watch our upcoming program, “Running the Race,” which features the Jesse Owens story, available February 11.

But wanting a better life for their children, Jesse’s parents, Henry and Mary, joined the hundreds of thousands of African Americans who headed north in the Great Migration. After Jesse’s prodigious athletic talent caught the attention of a teacher at his high school in Cleveland, Ohio, he attended Ohio State University and ran and jumped his way into history by setting four world records in 45 minutes during the Big Ten championship at Ferry Field in 1935. The feat has been referred to as the “greatest 45 minutes in sports history.”¹

Fifteen months later, Owens won four gold medals in front of German dictator Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympics. Returning to his home country, Owens was greeted with a hero’s welcome. That is, a black hero’s welcome. Owens wasn’t permitted to use the front entrance of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in order to attend a reception held in his honor, being forced instead to use a freight elevator. While much has been made of Hitler’s “snub” of Owens in Berlin, Owens believed he experienced a greater indignity at the hands of his own head of state. “Hitler didn’t snub me,” Jesse Owens said. “It was our president who snubbed me. The president [Franklin Delano Roosevelt] didn’t even send me a telegram.”

Owens went on to eventually earn a comfortable living. He was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United States government and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1976. 

Jesse Owens died in 1980. He is remembered by history as an American hero, a trailblazer who broke down barriers, stood up to a tyrant, and lived his life with dignity. But had Jesse Owens followed the script written for him by American society, you would have never heard of him. He would never have been the subject of documentaries, movies, and books, and he wouldn’t be remembered as one of the greatest athletes to have ever lived. In fact, he wouldn’t be remembered at all. 

An interesting aside: Dave Albritton, Mack Robinson—older brother of baseball’s Jackie Robinson—and Ralph Metcalfe were other African Americans who won medals in Berlin. Like Owens, they were all born and initially raised in the American South. Like Owens, they all moved north during the Great Migration. And like Owens, if they had stayed in the South they would have been denied opportunities and would never have become champions. Owens’ great rival before the Olympics, Eulace Peacock, was, like Owens, born Alabama, but was raised in New Jersey after his parents moved their family north.

It was expected that Jesse Owens would have no future. He would be another statistic, another casualty of a system deliberately set up to prevent him from becoming what he might be. In the same way, many people today—even many Christians—believe they have no future, the system conspiring to prevent them from fulfilling their potential.

Jesus died that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). He said that He would accept anyone who came to Him in faith (John 6:37), and would draw all to Himself (John 12:32). Paul wrote that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). In other words, every single person alive may become a child of God and inherit everlasting life.

But not everyone feels that way. For some, personal history stands between them and everlasting life. For others, a life of repeated failure convinces them that they’re not worthy of the love of God. But like Jesse Owens, every person who walks on heaven’s streets of gold will have overcome significant challenges. A fallen nature, a sinful heart, and a spiritual enemy determined to rob everyone of everlasting life. The book of Revelation speaks of the saved, saying, “And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11). They overcome. They succeed. They triumph.

The message of the Bible is not “Yes, you can,” but, “Yes, He can.” There’s never a need to believe the devil’s propaganda: “You’re no good. You’re not worthy. You’re not deserving.” The devil’s accusations are true, in part. We are not good, we’re definitely not worthy, and there’s no doubt we are not deserving. But no person alive needs to be good, worthy, or deserving in order to be saved. Jesus is all of those things. Faith in Him sees us credited for His goodness, worthiness, and deservingness. “By His stripes we are healed,” says Isaiah 53:5. Our hope is in His righteousness.

In spite of the obstacles you face—your weakness, your predisposition to fall into sin, your broken promises—God is able. And He will, if you are willing to have Him do so.

Don’t miss It Is Written’s Black History Month programs this month. “Running the Race” (available February 11) focuses on the story of Jesse Owens, who overcame immense obstacles to become the greatest athlete in the world. “The Hero” (available February 25) looks at the stories of multiple Medal of Honor recipients, including Robert Augustus Sweeney, the only African American to have received the Medal of Honor twice. Watch “Running the Race,” “The Hero,” and other It Is Written programs here: itiswritten.tv/programs/1


¹https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/05/24/owens-recordday

It Is Written Honors Black History Month With Three Special Programs

In February, It Is Written aired three special programs in honor of Black History Month. Two were new programs, and one was a rebroadcast of last year’s “Black Wall Street,” which won five Telly Awards

Black History Month is an important part of the American landscape,” said John Bradshaw, president of It Is Written. “Last year we began filming programs specifically for Black History Month, realizing we had the opportunity to not only tell important stories from the history of this country but also to draw powerful biblical principles from these stories.

In recent years, It Is Written has invested more time and energy into filming inspirational and uplifting programs on location, which has allowed for a greater and more diverse range of storytelling. “These on-location programs give us the opportunity to dig deeper into biblical themes and present Christian principles, taken right from the Bible, with far greater effectiveness,” said Michael Bell, It Is Written media production director. 

The Black History Month programs cover important historical civil rights events. “The story of the Black Wall Street in Greenwood, Oklahoma, is barely known, in spite of it being one of the most shocking events in American history,” said John Bradshaw. “The story of the Scottsboro Boys once gripped the country, but it’s a story that’s now all but forgotten. It shouldn’t be. The story of what happened in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 is frequently retold and even reenacted, but for many people, it’s history and little more. These stories can inform our todays in addition to reminding us of our yesterdays. We’re not only remembering history, but we’re also looking at that history through the lens of the Word of God.”

The programs were well-received by a diverse audience. One viewer wrote, “Thank you so much for your acknowledgment of Black history! Thanks for the courage to share the wrongs of the past!”

“We would like you to know how full of gratitude our hearts are for, not just the It Is Written program, but in particular, the ‘Black Wall Street’ broadcast,” said another viewer. “We were not aware that this event ever took place. That is why we want you to know how thankful we are that you took the time to produce this program. This worldwide ministry is a blessing to us and so many others; it looks into things that most churches don’t pay much attention to! In conclusion, we say to the entire staff and volunteers, keep up the great work. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:6).”

“Thank you for producing these programs in recognition of the American history which involves African-Americans and our connection to the mission of Christ,” wrote a third viewer. “When the church speaks openly of issues (past and present), we learn how to speak with compassion and Christian love. Thank you again for your ministry!”

“I just watched it on TBN,” another viewer wrote. “It made me cry. I’m from Mexico, and I owe Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others like him and Pastor Reeb for all they sacrificed so I can now enjoy the freedom I have. God bless all who are still sacrificing so much for others.  And I thank God for His Son that made the biggest sacrifice for us all.”

“It’s not just our viewers that have taken notice,” said Michael Bell. “Our peers are also praising our programs for their quality and excellence. Last year, ‘Black Wall Street’ won multiple Telly Awards, including those for writing, editing, and cinematography.”

Learn more about the programs below. Click each title to watch it. 

“Black Wall Street”

In 1921, more than 300 people were massacred, thousands were left homeless, and an entire town was destroyed when people turned on their fellow citizens—in the United States of America. Which raises an important question: What kind of person would do that? The answer is surprising. Join John Bradshaw on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as we look at the challenge faced by every person: the sinful heart.

“Rights & Wrongs”

In the 1960s, the civil rights movement made history as Americans took a stand against racial injustice. Join John Bradshaw on location in Selma, Alabama, as he examines the atrocities committed there and the bravery of those who stepped up to do what was right, even when it cost them their lives.

“The Scottsboro Nine”

It was a colossal miscarriage of justice: nine young men found guilty of a crime they didn’t commit, and the deciding factor was the color of their skin. Join John Bradshaw in Scottsboro, Alabama, for this story of brutal discrimination, and learn why it’s so important to serve a God who is just.