On This Date in Sports October 16, 1968: Raised Fist

Frank The Tank 10/16/2023 12:00 AM

Tommie Smith won the Gold Medal in the 200 Meter at the Mexico City Olympics, while Peter Norman of Australia took Silver and American John Carlos took the Bronze. During the medal ceremony, Smith and Carlos caused a stir with a Black Power Salute as a form of protest against racial conditions in the United States. Both would be suspended and asked to leave the Olympic village.

It was a time of strife in America, with the War in Vietnam, the draft, and the climax of the civil rights movement. There were race riots throughout the nation, while a protest against the war turned the Democratic Convention in Chicago into a three-ring circus. There is no doubt that 1968 was a tough year for the United States, as the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy changed life in America forever.

Against this backdrop, Black Athletes at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City were seriously considering a boycott of the games. John Carlos was at the forefront of the movement, organizing the Olympic Project for Human Rights. The idea sprung from the teachings of Dr. Harry Edwards, a professor at the San Jose State, Berkeley. Edwards had previously studied at San Jose State, the Alma matter of both Smith and Carlos. The OPHR had a list of demands for the IOC and USOC. They wanted South Africa and Rhodesia to be banned from the games due to their Apartheid Policies. They wanted Muhammad Ali to be reinstated and declared the heavyweight champion again. They demanded the resignation of Avery Brundage as President of the International Olympic Committee, and they wanted the USOC to hire more African-American officials and coaches.

The planned boycott of the games failed to gain steam as reactions to the deaths of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy made it feel inappropriate. In addition, many athletes worked their entire lives to qualify for the Olympics. So, a new plan was put into place to make their voices heard. Both John Carlos and Tommie Smith were teammates at San Jose State. Carlos was born on June 5, 1945, in Harlem, while Smith was born on the day of the D-Day invasion, June 6, 1944, in Clarksville, Texas. With the guidance of Harry Edwards, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos became heavily involved in the OPHR and began planning their statement as they readied to run in the 200 meters.

The race belonged to Tommie Smith, who set a new World Record, running the 200 meters in 19:83 seconds; John Carlos was just behind, finishing the race in 20:10 for the Bronze Medal, while Peter Norman of Australia got the Silver Medal with a time of 20:06. The planned protest was put into place for the medal ceremony. Each had chosen their wardrobe by making a statement in mind, removing their shoes to protest against global poverty. They both wore scarves and beads to protest lynchings in the United States. When the Star Spangled Banner played, Tommie Smith and John Carlos each lowered their heads to show shame for the United States while they raised one black-gloved fist in the name of black power.

The protest was met largely with hostility, as it angered officials of the U.S. Olympic Committee, while the public, like the rest of the country, was split. One athlete who made a statement in opposition was George Foreman, who waived and kissed an American Flag after winning a gold medal in boxing. Tommie Smith and John Carlos were each suspended for the remainder of the Olympic Games. As the years have gone by, perspectives have changed. The two have gained more accolades for their actions, with a statue at the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of African American History. Dr. Harry Edwards, the professor who helped inspire the protest, later became a consultant with the San Francisco 49ers and was a mentor to Colin Kaepernick when he began his protest.