What kind of family was Jesse Owens born to?

Jesse Owens was born in Alabama in 1913 to a poor, black family. Even when Owens was a boy, it was clear that he had special athletic ability. He could run extremely fast. In high school he was a long-jump champion.
   Owens’ family didn’t have enough money to send him to college. However, because he was an excellent athlete, he was able to get a scholarship to Ohio State University. Owens was the star of the Ohio State University track team. In one college track event in 1935, he broke three world records in less than an hour! Owens was chosen for the 1936 US Olympic team.
   The 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. Adolf Hitler had come to power two years before.
   At the Olympics, Jesse Owens won both the 100-meter race and the 200-meter race. His time in the 200-meter race set a new Olympic record. Owens was also on the US 400-meter relay team. The US relay team won.
   Then came the long jump. A German athlete broke the Olympic record. But Owens still had one more jump. He jumped several inches farther than the German Athlete. Jesse Owens, a black American, had won his fourth gold medal at the Olympics. He was a hero.