Site Map | FAQ
Enter search term
All Infoplease
in
Daily Almanac for Mar 10, 2008
Search White Pages
Home
Almanacs
Atlas
Encyclopedia
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Features
Quizzes
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/summer-olympics-mexico-city.html
Timelines
Countries
Women's History
Campaign 2008
World & News
United States
History & Gov't
Biography
Sports
Arts & Ent.
Business
Society & Culture
Health & Science
Homework Center
Fact Monster
K i d' s r ef e r e n c e,
g a me s, qu iz z e s
Daily Almanac
This Day in History
Today's Birthday
Word of the Day
Editor's Favorites
Women's History Month
Kosovo Country Profile
School Shootings
Timeline
St. Patrick's Day
Leap Year
Daylight Saving Time
Easter
Vernal Equinox
Black History Month
Economics 101
World's Ten Most
Corrupt Leaders
Academy Awards
American Idol
Campaign 2008
2008 Current Events
2008 Deaths
Most Intelligent U.S. Cities
Cleanest U.S. Cities
Best Culture in U.S. Cities
Holidays: Religious and
Secular, 2008
2008 Calendar
2007 Year in Review
Search: Infoplease
Info search tips
Search: Biographies
Bio search tips
Summer Olympics 2008 > Memorable Olympics Moments
Civil Disobedience
Black medallists raise fists for Civil Rights Movement
by John Gettings
It was the most popular medal ceremony
of all time. The photographs of two black
American sprinters standing on the
medal podium with heads bowed and
fists raised at the Mexico City Games in
1968 not only represent one of the most
memorable moments in Olympic history
but a milestone in America's civil rights
movement.
The two men were Tommie Smith and
John Carlos. Teammates at San Jose
State University, Smith and Carlos were
stirred by the suggestion of a young
sociologist friend Harry Edwards, who
asked them and all the other black
American athletes to join together and
boycott the games. The protest, Edwards
hoped, would bring attention to the fact
that America's civil rights movement had
not gone far enough to eliminate the
injustices black Americans were facing.
Edwards' group, the Olympic Project for
Human Rights (OPHR), gained support
from several world-class athletes and
civil rights leaders but the all-out boycott
never materialized.
Tag Cloud
Tommie Smith (center) and John Carlos
raise fists for Black Power in 1968.
(Source: AP)
carlos city fist
gloves history john
smith
medalists
mexican
tommie
What's this?
Related Links
Olympics Overview 2008
Preview: Track & Field
Black History
1968 History
The World Changed
Forever in 1968, Find Out
Why at History.com®.
www.history.com
Arizona Criminal Arrest?
480-778-1500 - 24/7 Free
Still impassioned by Edwards' words,
Case Eval Top Arizona
Smith and Carlos secretly planned a
Criminal Lawyers
non-violent protest in the manner of
www.MaasenLaw.com/Criminal-Atty
Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 200-meter
race, Smith won the gold medal and
Carlos the bronze. As the American flag rose and the Star-Spangled
Banner played, the two closed their eyes, bowed their heads, and began
their protest.
Infoplease Tools
Calculator
Spelling Checker
Place Finder
Distance Calculator
Periodic Table
Conversion Tool
Perpetual Calendar
Year by Year
Career Center
Job Search
Post Your Resume
Continuing Ed.
College Center
Scholarship Search
Colleges &
Universities
College Resources
Smith later told the media that he raised his right, black-glove-covered fist
in the air to represent black power in America while Carlos' left,
black-covered fist represented unity in black America. Together they
formed an arch of unity and power. The black scarf around Smith's neck
stood for black pride and their black socks (and no shoes) represented
black poverty in racist America.
SPONSORED LINKS
While the protest seems relatively tame by today's standards, the actions
of Smith and Carlos were met with such outrage that they were suspended
from their national team and banned from the Olympic Village, the athletes'
home during the games.
A lot of people thought that political statements had no place in the
supposedly apolitical Olympic Games. Those that opposed the protest
cried out that the actions were militant and disgraced Americans.
Supporters, on the other hand, were moved by the duo's actions and
praised them for their bravery. The protest had lingering effects for both
men, the most serious of which were death threats against them and their
families.
Smith and Carlos, who both now coach high school track teams, were
honored in 1998 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their protest.
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/summer-olympics-mexico-city.html
BarackObama.com
Ads by Google
An interesting side note to the protest was that the 200m silver medallist
in 1968, Peter Norman of Australia (who is white), participated in the
protest that evening by wearing a OPHR badge.
More from 2008 Summer Olympics
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
CITE
PRINT
EMAIL
HOTWORDS
BOOKMARK
FEATURES ARCHIVE
Did you know? James Buchanan was the U.S.'s only bachelor president.
© 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease •
RSS
• About • Contact • Link to Us • Advertise with Infoplease • Terms of Use • Privacy • Related sites: Family Education • TeacherVision
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/summer-olympics-mexico-city.html