Documentary explores Jesse Owens' life beyond victory
The headline of Jesse Owens’ life always mentions the four gold medals he won in track and field events at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, which crushed Nazi German notions of Aryan superiority. But the real story of his life neither begins nor ends with that victory, and a documentary airing tonight on PBS explores Owens’ life before and after.
“Jesse Owens," an hourlong episode of American Experience that airs at 8 p.m. on most PBS stations, starts with Owens’ record-breaking high school and college years in Cleveland, Ohio, and at Ohio State University.
His Olympic victories had a deep impact on Americans, but also on German spectators whose lives would be changed by the Holocaust.
“When I saw him run, he became something of a hero to me,” said then-11-year-old Theodor Michael, a German of African descent who is quoted in the film. “It was truly inspiring for me to see a person of my skin color, my kind, winning.”
After beating the German favorite in the broad jump, the two competitors walked arm-in-arm around the stadium for a victory lap, to Nazi leaders’ disgust.
But the lucrative endorsements and contracts that were dangled in front of Owens after his victories didn’t materialize once he returned to the United States. He faced discrimination while touring with other members of the U.S. Olympic team and was forced to stay and eat in segregated establishments.
"All of those experiences helped him become an incredibly strong man who survived through so many challenging times," said "Jesse Owens" director Laurens Grant. "He fought back with grace and his talent. Those things are maybe forgotten by the wayside, and I think all those things made him the man he was."
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Attorney: Plaintiffs will appeal dismissal of Iowa discrimination lawsuit
By Stephanie Siek, CNN
(CNN) – The lawyer representing up to 6,000 African-American plaintiffs in an employment discrimination lawsuit against the state of Iowa says he will appeal a judge’s dismissal of the case.
"This was a step forward, but we're disappointed that it wasn't a bigger step forward from this judge," said Thomas Newkirk. "We will appeal it and keep fighting to expose the reality of how bias works in the system."
Iowa Fifth Judicial District Judge Robert J. Blink dismissed the case Tuesday, ruling that evidence presented by the plaintiffs did not prove hiring and promotion discrepancies between blacks and whites were caused by discrimination. But it also asked the state why it wasn’t using existing tools and policies to see whether it was fulfilling its goals as an Equal Opportunity Employer.
In a press release, Iowa State Attorney General Tom Miller praised Blink's ruling, calling it a "thoughtful decision (that) is based on the law and the facts of the case."
"The plaintiffs had an expert who testified that even if the agencies didn't know the race of the applicants, that somehow in a subconscious way they did know and discriminated against African-Americans," Miller said in a press release. "Judge Blink has rejected this claim as clearly as he should have."
Ruling expected soon in Iowa employment discrimination lawsuit
Updated April 18, 2012: Attorney: Plaintiffs will appeal dismissal of Iowa 'unconscious bias' discrimination lawsuit
By Stephanie Siek, CNN
(CNN) – According to her resume, Nansi Woods looked like a good fit for the job, an adviser position at the Iowa Workforce Development office. She had a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, a bachelor's degree in communications, one of several preferred fields related to the job and a minor in social work. She more than met the minimum requirements listed in the job description, which asked for an associate's degree or certificate of education completion.
Another applicant had a bachelor's degree in a preferred field, but was still taking courses toward a master's degree in human resources. A third person seeking the job had no degree, no specific job experience and none of the listed computer skills. These last two applicants – both of them white – were offered the job. Woods, who is black, was never granted an interview.
A class action suit filed in 2007 on behalf of Woods and up to 6,000 other African-Americans who were passed over for jobs or promotions with the state of Iowa alleges that they were victims of discrimination.
The plaintiff's attorneys attempted to remove lead plaintiff, Linda Pippen, from the case after she was convicted of embezzling more than $43,000 in unemployment benefits from the state, but a judge denied the motion. Thomas Newkirk, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, said Pippen’s conviction should not cast doubt on the others' discrimination claims, and that her misconduct occurred after the suit was filed.
Jeff Thompson, the state attorney representing Iowa, said that the state could not comment on an ongoing case. But in the state's answer to the lawsuit, it denies the allegations of discrimination.
Lawyers from both sides of the case said an Iowa court judge was expected to rule on the suit, Pippen et al. v. State of Iowa, soon.
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Same-sex couples in North Carolina prepare for marriage vote
Editor's note: See more images from Justin Cook's Commitment NC project on CNN Photos.
By Stephanie Siek, CNN
(CNN) – Despite long-term relationships, shared children and steadfastness to each other in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, same-sex couples like Heather McIver and Suzanne Lowe, Kelli Evans and Karen Wade, and J. Wesley Thompson and Trey Owen know that their commitments could be invalidated with enough ballots. They live in North Carolina, which will be conducting a referendum on gay marriage next month.
On May 8, voters in North Carolina will head to the polls to vote on Amendment 1, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would define "marriage between one man and one woman" as "the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized." According to same-sex marriage advocacy group Marriage Equality, North Carolina is one of 20 states that are considering whether to allow or ban same-sex relationships. Twenty-one states recognize some form of same-sex relationships, either as marriage, civil union or domestic partnership. Thirty states ban same-sex marriage by law, constitutional amendment or both.
Each of the above couples participated in Commitment NC , a documentary photo project that aims to show the faces of the families that would be affected by passage of Amendment 1. It’s the brainchild of Justin Cook, an independent photographer based in Durham, North Carolina, who says he wanted to show the "real love and real lives" of gay and lesbian couples. Commitment NC has also grown to include images and stories from a similar project, Love for All, by another group of photographers capturing the lives of unmarried couples, gay and straight.
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