A ‘Big-O’ Difference Story By Hannah Lester Photos Contributed By The James Owens Foundation
J
ames Owens — a man who paved the way for others, who walked a hard path, fought for the rights of those who would come after him — Auburn University’s first Black athlete to receive a football scholarship. James received his scholarship and came to play at the school on The Plains in 1969. “It was a struggle for him, to be going through integration,” said Jamelia Owens, James’ daughter. James, before coming to Auburn, wanted to play for the NFL, but he sustained injuries that killed the dream. He returned home — to Birmingham. “James didn’t want that for other players,” Jamelia said.
“He didn’t want them to do four years and then go back home to nothing, so before he passed away on March 26, 2016, we began to draft a foundation … James knew that he was sick, and so he wanted his legacy to live on but he knew that the only way he could do that was creating something that would be able to help others.” The James Owens Foundation was formed after James’ death — it provides scholarships to students that will allow them to further their educations. In addition to academic and masters’-level scholarships, the organization assists with grants to aid students with non-traditional education costs as well. “There was so much James wanted to do,” she said. “He
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