Mexico 1968 - Of Dreams and Destiny

By Idy Uyoe

It is easily the most significantmedal ceremony in Olympic history.On the evening of October 16, 1968,Tommie Smith and John Carlos, victorious African-American sprinters who won gold and bronze respectively,raised opposite fists in the air ina "Black Pride" Salute,on the medal stand attheOlympic Gamesin Mexico City.Fifty years forward,one of the most iconic photographs inhistorycontinues to ignite debate about the use of sport as a powerful platform for expression onissuesimpacting broader society.That imagefrom the podiumhas been significantly rehabilitated half a century later,with Smith and Carlosviewed now as pioneers of courage andconviction versus pariahs and the punished, as they were in the years following the protest.

I had a chance to speak with John Carlos, the bronze medalist who stood behind Smith on the podium 50 years ago,and I came awayconvinced this was a manwith purpose,a manwho acceptedtheoutcomes associated withdoing what he believed to be right.Excerpts from our conversation follows:

On Why He BelievesProtesting at the Mexico City Olympic Games Was His Destiny

Carlos told meabout a visionhe hadwhen he was five years old. Hedescribes sitting in alargefield inMexico, and the crowd was cheeringand clappingfor him. But when he raised his left hand to wave back to the crowd,Carlos says, "the joy and happiness turned to sadness and anger." He started hearing boos and jeersfrom the same people who had favorably acknowledged himmomentsearlier.Carlos recalled how he thought it was strange to waveto the crowd withhis left hand inthe dream, sincehe is actually right handed.Fifteen years later, Carlos would dress his left hand in a black glove and swing upwards, slicing a piece of history intotheair in a crowded stadium in Mexico City.

On theSpontaneity of theMoment

Carlos said winning a medal wasn’t his main priority at those Olympic Games, but rather,it wasgetting on the victory stand for theprotest.To Carlos, thebronzemedal was simply a byproduct of making the podium. He expressed disappointment, however, that the Olympic boycott planned by African-American athletes to call attention to racial injustices in the United States and elsewhere, never materialized.According to Carlos,his (and Smith’s) subsequentexpulsion from the Olympic Games was immaterial; makinghis point iswhat mattered. Says Carlos,"Wewent there, weran, and we won. We went there to make a statement and we did that. What was relevant was what you saw."

On theReaction thatFollowed the Protest

Carlos describes the immediatereactionto theprotestasdecidedly mixed. Says Carlos, "Some people rejoiced, others felt pain. It was complicated." He went on the say the media created the impression the men wereintimidating, andnever fully understoodthe purpose of the protest.From context, I got the impressionthose opinions haven’tmoved much in half a century.

On the role of the Australian Peter Norman, the Third Man on the Podium in Mexico City

Carlos: "Peter Norman was a fine individual." Norman did notvisibly protest on thepodium,buthe did wear an Olympic Project for Human Rights*pinin support of Smith and Carlos,which carried consequences. Though Normanwasn’t expelled from the games like Smith and Carlos, his own punishment was swift and decisive. The Australian Olympic Committeesuspended Normanfor two years forhisrole in the protest. According to Carlos, however, "a lot of what was said about the rolehe[Norman] had in the protest was not true.I’ll just leave it at that."In 2012, the Australian parliament issued a posthumous apology to Norman, who died in 2006, for the way he and his family were treated upon returning to Australia. The Parliamentary motion read in part, "[This]acknowledges the bravery of Peter Norman in donning an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge on the podium, in solidarity with African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who gave the ‘black power’ salute."

What has now become a footnote to Norman in this story, was hisrecord-breaking performance in that200-meter race, whereheout leaned Carlos at the tape for the silver.Norman’stime of 20.06seconds still stands as a national record in Australia, 50 yearslater.

On Athletes Protest of Today

I asked Carloswhat he thought in general aboutcurrentathletes protesting to bring attention to importantsocialissuesimpacting various segments ofsociety.RepliesCarlos, "Sports has grown tremendously since I competed. Pro athletes earn their money, but they also have a right to speak out. There is a more intellectual discussion now … morefineness to the conversation. We have to look at what we are doing for ourselves and our communities. Something isbroke [sic], and we need to fix it. The system is infected. We have to do something."

On How History Will Remember the Protest

Iended by asking Carlos how he views the protestnow, and its place in history."Slavery is a part of history. We’re part of a new history handed down now. I wasn’t around during slavery. Think about where we are in society." Carlos goes on to give an example of the need for minority self-empowerment, saying,"Inrecords, we make the music, but they makethe profits."Carlos believes the protest is still as vibrant today as it was50 years ago, gaining more resonance with the passage of time. Reflectivelyheadds, "That event was a beacon for society. This is all anatural energy that can come together. This event was destined to happen."

And of course it did.

*Smith and Carlos were a part of a project known as The Olympic Project for Human Rights, OPHR. Their demands included: Hiring of more African-American coaches in the US collegiate sport system; banning Apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia (under white minority rule) from the Olympics; the removal of International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage and the restoration of Muhammad Ali as the legitimate heavyweight champion of the world, after his title had been taken away as a result of his refusal to enter the Vietnam war.

Idy Uyoe (www.idysports.com) is an Olympic scholar, commentator and sports marketing professional. He is an active member of the International Society of Olympic Historians. Follow him on Twitter @idysports.

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