1968 Black Power Olympic Salute

"If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight." -Tommie Smith

Gold medalist Tommie Smith (center) and Bronze medalist
John Carlos (right) raising their fist on the podium after the 200m
 in the 1968 Summer Olympics.  The silver medalist, Peter Norman, from
Australia wearing a Olympic Project for Human Rights Badge. 

Many expected the Americans to dominate the track at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico.  In fact, when the 200-meter began, American Tommie Smith led the pack, closely followed by his teammate John Carlos.  In the last seconds, Australian Peter Norman edged Carlos out, taking the silver medal.  But it's what happened next that would make history. 

The Protest

At the medal ceremony, Smith and Carlos stood on the podium wearing black socks without shoes to symbolize black poverty in America.  Carlos wore a strand of colorful beads for those who had been "lynched, or killed and that no-one said a prayer for, that were hung and tarred. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the middle passage."  They bowed their heads as "The Star Spangled Banner" played and raised their fists—clad in black leather gloves—in salute to Black Power and unity.  It was a gesture seen around the world and an enduring symbol of political resistance.  

This moment came out of a deep-rooted struggle for racial equality in the United States.  Smith and Carlos were part of the Olympic Project for Human Rights which had initially called upon black athletes to boycott the Olympic games.  The project's mission statement asked, "Why should we run in Mexico only to crawl home?"  Ultimately, the group decided against the boycott, opting to voice their message in protest.  Silver-medalist Peter Norman also wore an OPHR patch in solidarity.  

Aftermath

Frontpage of Evening
News, 1968

As they left the podium, they were booed by the crowd.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Avery Brundage denounced the athletes actions as a domestic political statement in violation of the apolitical, international principles of the Olympic spirit.  The IOC ordered Smith and Carlos suspended from the U.S. team and banned from the Olympic Village.  

At home Smith and Carlos were largely ostracized by the public and the sporting community.  Time magazine ran a piece in October 1968 of the Olympic logo with the words "Angrier, Nastier, Uglier" instead of the official motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger," heavily criticizing the event, and describing Smith and Carlos as "two disaffected black athletes from the U.S. [who] put on a public display of petulance that sparked on of the most unpleasant controversies in Olympic history and turned the high drama of the games into theater of the absurd."

Norman was reprimanded by his country's Olympic authorities and ostracized by Australian media.  He wasn't picked for the 1972 Summer Olympics despite finishing third in the finals.  At his funeral in 2006, Smith and Carlos were pallbearers and spoke of his strength at the games.  "Not every young white individual would have the gumption, the nerve, the backbone to stand there," Carlos said.  "We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat.  [Norman] said, 'I'll stand with you'."

Legacy

This photo became a major symbol of the social upheaval happening in 1968.  Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated and the black-power movement had provided a post-Civil Rights rallying cry aimed at giving respect to black citizens.  Globally, the image of two black athletes with fists raised in defiance was understood as an act of solidarity for those fighting for greater equality, justice and human rights.  

In 2008, basketball legend Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, who had been asked to try out for the '68 Olympic team, described what watching that moment meant.  He wrote, "Whites were outraged, blacks felt some rush of pride." 

References

"1968 Olympics Black Power Salute." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute

Amer, Robin. "The 1968 Black Power salute: An iconic Olympic moment revisited." http://www.wbez.org/series/dynamic-range/1968-black-power-salute-iconic-olympic-moment-revisited-101270

Flanagan, Martin. "Olympic protest heroes praise Norman's courage." http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/olympic-protest-heroes-praise-normans-courage/2006/10/09/1160246069969.html

"The Olympics: Black Complaint." Time. 25 October 1968. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900397,00.html