Article

Abstract

Representations of Olympian Jesse Owens are on display in Le Musée Olympique (LMO), Switzerland, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), United States. At both museums, visitors learn about Owens’s life through specific institutional lenses that intentionally diminish certain aspects of his life and legacy. LMO uses Owens to propagate Olympism, while the NMAAHC sidesteps some of his post-career stances to bolster support for athlete activism. The inclusions and exemptions of certain pieces of Owens’s life at both museums are purposeful and part of their broader missions. Therefore, Owens’s story at LMO and the NMAAHC is both partial and selective, demonstrating the constraints of cultural memory in museums.