Wow: In Honor of Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos

The year was 1968, I was 4 years old and have no recollection of the events that transpired at the Olympic Games in Mexico City. Yet, during the '68 Games, a nonviolent act of protest in support of the civil rights movement by Tommie Smith and John Carlos caused such an outrage that they were suspended from their national team and banned from the Olympic Village.

Years later, I recall a conversation I had while in grad school with my roommate and one of my best friends about this protest (I think he had a poster of it). Ever since, the photo of this one lone act as well as the protest itself has strongly resonated with me. To my surprise, in 2005 I was pleased to pick up the newspaper and read that a 20 ft. statue honoring Tommie Smith and John Carlos had been erected on the campus of San Jose State University. (Click here to read a recent Forbes article on Smith and Carlos)

Clearly the U.S. has come a long way in the last 40 years; however, as the Olympics begins today in China, let us not forget the people in the world that are still oppressed and struggling for civil rights...1.3 billion of which are in China.

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.

Still impassioned by Edwards' words, Smith and Carlos secretly planned a non-violent protest in the manner of 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.

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.

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.