Why was Jesse Owens important?

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort. A lifetime of training for just ten seconds. One chance is all you need. I always loved running, it was something you could do by yourself and under your own power. I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up. The only bond worth anything between human beings is their humanness. For a time at least, I was the most famous person in the entire world. 

—Jesse Owens, winner of four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Watch Jesse Owens—American Experience