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| "Sometimes Breathtaking. Sometimes Horrific Each photo has the power to inspire." One new Photo added Everyweek! |
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Posted on November 16, 2008 - Total Views 13799
Olympics Black Power
Two black American athletes have made history at the Mexico Olympics by staging a silent protest against racial discrimination.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200m, stood with their heads bowed and a black-gloved hand raised as the American National Anthem played during the victory ceremony.
The pair both wore black socks and no shoes and Smith wore a black scarf around his neck. They were demonstrating against continuing racial discrimination of black people in the United States.
As they left the podium at the end of the ceremony they were booed by many in the crowd.
At a press conference after the event Tommie Smith, who holds seven world records, said: “If I win I am an American, not a black American. But if I did something bad then they would say ‘a Negro’. We are black and we are proud of being black.
“Black America will understand what we did tonight.”
Smith said he had raised his right fist to represent black power in America, while Carlos raised his left fist to represent black unity. Together they formed an arch of unity and power.
He said the black scarf represented black pride and the black socks with no shoes stood for black poverty in racist America.
Within a couple of hours the actions of the two Americans were being condemned by the International Olympic Committee.
A spokesperson for the organization said it was “a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit.”
It is widely expected the two will be expelled from the Olympic village and sent back to the US.
In September last year Tommie Smith, a student at San Jose State university in California, told reporters that black members of the American Olympic team were considering a total boycott of the 1968 games.
He said: “It is very discouraging to be in a team with white athletes. On the track you are Tommie Smith, the fastest man in the world, but once you are in the dressing rooms you are nothing more than a dirty Negro.”
The boycott had been the idea of professor of sociology at San Jose State university, and friend of Tommie Smith, Harry Edwards.
Professor Edwards set up the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) and appealed to all black American athletes to boycott the games to demonstrate to the world that the civil rights movement in the US had not gone far enough.
He told black Americans they should refuse “to be utilized as ‘performing animals’ in the games.”
Although the boycott never materialized the OPHR gained much support from black athletes around the world.
That evening, the silver medallist in the 200m event, Peter Norman of Australia, who was white, wore an OPHR badge in support of Smith and Carlos’ protest.
But two days later the two athletes were suspended from their national team, expelled from the Olympic village and sent home to America.
Many felt they had violated the Olympic spirit by drawing politics into the games.
On their return both men were welcomed as heroes by the African-American community but others regarded them as trouble-makers. Both received death threats.
Statue in honor of Smith and Carlos at San José State University
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Unknown 1968 Wikipedia |
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(10 votes, average: 3.7 out of 5)
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Tags : 1968 • American Athletes • American National Anthem • American Olympic Team • Black America • Black Pride • Black Socks • Black Unity • Bronze Medalists • Dressing Rooms • Fastest Man In The World • International Olympic Committee • Jose State University • Mexico Olympics • Olympic Spirit • Olympic Village • Racial Discrimination • San Jose State • San Jose State University • Silent Protest • Tommie Smith And John Carlos
November 16th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Way to make the white guy feel awkward o.O
1. If he puts his hand up also, he looks like a poser.
2. If he doesn’t, he looks like a racist.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Looks like the white guy is from Australia, so I don’t think he had anything to do with it.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:15 am
its a shame that all those stupid nazi comments are not deleted from this nice picture site…
November 18th, 2008 at 12:17 am
@Arson: Read the article chicken!
November 19th, 2008 at 7:33 am
errr askgldsa should read the article. Peter Norman of Australia was at the silver place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Norman
he was wronged by Aust officials after but was a man of his conviction and word.Lest we forget.
November 20th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
forget what?
November 20th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Dont take my name you stupid fake poopoo
November 20th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
who? poopoo?
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PICTURES ON THIS ******* WEAK *** SITE ABOUT PATHETIC *******">*******?????
November 29th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Actually, the ‘white guy’ Peter Norman had arranged to do this with them, but after they stood at the podium, they realised that Carlos had forgotten his black glove, so Norman gave him his glove. It’s a shame that he’s not remembered as much as Smith and Carlos and no statue was made for him; leaving the 3rd position emty!
December 4th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
If you don’t see the symbolism of what they did, even though the article spells it out for you then why are you even on this site? Maybe it didn’t change the whole world but it was heroic in African American history. I am very ashamed of how racist many are, IT’S NOT JUST AMERICANS AND NAZIS!!! RaWr, Katie’s frustration that has been building for the past hours has now been unleashed.
Have a nice day
December 4th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Black Panthers/Black Gloves/Black *****…I got some black pants as well
December 4th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
are they pretending to ride the bus?
December 14th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
IS THIS WEBSITE RUN BY NIGERS ???
WHERE ARE THE ******* WHITE POWER PICTURES ???????????????
DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK ITS FUNNY HOW WHITE POWER IS RACIST BUT BLACK POWER ISN’T ??
December 15th, 2008 at 9:45 am
This IntelCenter video grab image shows a new video still that al-Qaeda’s as-Sahab released. Al-Qaeda number two Ayman Zawahiri condemned US president-elect Barack Obama as a
December 16th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Everyone in the world is thrilled that America elected Barack Obama ! There was dancing and American flag-waving on streets that more recently have been burning American flags (both abroad and in San Francisco). It looks like America will
December 18th, 2008 at 4:52 am
thems 3 pack a day men…Marlboros that is….
December 28th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
again, black people think that america is out to get them. wtf! if it is so bad then go back to africa, where you would be shot for a grain of rice or a potato. i mean come on, you are pissed because someone would call you something different if you did something entirely different than the situation at hand? let me get this straight, if a white man wins a gold medal he is american, but if he shoots someone he is a “honkey”? wtf if you do something bad, you are going to have bad thoughts about you, no matter what color you are, black people in america need to stop acting like america is holding them back and just live their lives. yes there are stereotypes, ITS BECAUSE YOUR BLACK “BROTHERS” MADE EVERYONE ELSE IN AMERICA FEEL LIKE YOU ARE CRIMINALS! if someone see’s a middle-eastern person in an airport, weather you be black or white, your asshairs are going to stand on end because you think they have a bomb in their freakin eardrum. stop acting like babies and live the life god gave you crybaby
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 pm
let me see if i got this right, if you are a color, you are entitled to something that either made by or earned by someone else…and it’s just pent up anger you have for being let down by yourself. stop wasting your time and mine by your whining…black white yellow or green, go do something positive, shut up about the 1860s and the 1960s, hell i was in it knee deep, i go thru my own crap, and i don’t care about what you thought back then, now…because it didn’t change anything, a white person will see you as a color if you tag yourself and a black person will only see you as the oppressor……just stop with the holidays and the differences, i don’t care, rebel yankee or slave…i really don’t see the difference in a person until you show your color
January 5th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
very famous and powerful photos. it takes intelligence and a humble intention to fully understand these photos. its too bad that after all this time and effort that we as a country have travelled that were still promoting such hate to others because of involuntary reasons. grow up people. youre only seen as the bottom of the barrel backwoods redneck whos ignorance and impatience plagues this country already.