Standing up for freedom: the black power salute at the 1968 Olympics

Submitted by cathy n on 25 August, 2008 - 6:38 Author: Rosalind Robson

This fascinating programme told the full story about the “black power” protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at a medal ceremony during the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Although the story is well known (and the image even more famous), especially in America, it was worth telling again, in this film, by the athletes themselves.

Smith and Carlos were involved in the Olympic Project for Human Rights, itself an offshoot of civil rights activism at San Jose State University in California. In the years before 1968 a unique group of black track and field athletes, at the University on sport’s scholarships, trained to become the best in America, and the best in the world. The best athletes in America, but still second class citizens, both in the world of athletics and in society.

At that time for instance New York City Athletics Club — happy to see world-class black athletes run around their running track — barred blacks — and also Jews — from membership of the club.

As the Olympic trials grew near black activists at San Jose began to talk about a black boycott of their Olympics, knowing full well that their absence would really be felt. They set up the Olympic Project for Human Rights. They wanted true equality on the sports field and in society. Their demands were that the fascist sympathiser Avery Bundage should resign as Olympics boss. That Muhammed Ali should be given back his world title (he had lost it when he refused to fight in Vietnam). That the all-white teams of Southern Rhodesia and South Africa should be barred from attending the games.

Many black athletes were not keen on the boycott and that idea fell to oneside. However the backlash and hate campaign against the OPHR radicalised many. A protest would take place at the Olympics itself, but until it happened nobody knew what it would be.

The salute was not just a salute, but a demonstration carefully choreographed to symbolise many things. Smith (who won the gold medal for 200 metres) wore a black scarf around his neck to represent black pride. Carlos (who won the bronze) had his tracksuit top unzipped to show solidarity with all blue collar workers in America. Carlos, who was from Harlem and the most political of the two wore beads which he described "were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed 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." The men raised their right arm and their left arm to signify black unity.

Unfortunately the story of the “black power” movement was not one of unity and the lives of the men (sent home by the US after the protest) were not easy. The protest, however, lives on as a simple, powerful demonstration of a fight for freedom.

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