Smith and Carlos Raise Fists: Olympic Protest

Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the Olympic medal podium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, bowed their heads during the American national anthem, and raised black-gloved fists into the evening sky. The image became one of the most powerful political photographs of the twentieth century. Within hours, the U.S. Olympic Committee suspended both sprinters and expelled them from the Olympic Village, turning a moment of silent protest into an international incident. Smith had just won the 200-meter final in a world-record 19.83 seconds, with Carlos finishing third. Both were students at San Jose State University in California, where sociology professor Harry Edwards had organized the Olympic Project for Human Rights, a movement that had considered a full Black athlete boycott of the Games. The boycott never materialized, but Smith and Carlos decided to make their own statement. The gesture was carefully choreographed. Smith raised his right fist to represent Black power; Carlos raised his left to represent Black unity. Both wore black socks without shoes to symbolize Black poverty. Smith wore a black scarf for Black pride; Carlos wore beads to honor those who had been lynched. Peter Norman, the Australian silver medalist, wore an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge in solidarity — a decision that would cost him his career in Australian athletics. All three men faced the flag and assumed their positions as the anthem began. The reaction was swift and harsh. International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage demanded their expulsion, and the U.S. Olympic Committee complied. Smith and Carlos returned home to death threats and struggled professionally for years. Smith was drafted by the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals but never played; Carlos played briefly before injuries ended his football career. Both found careers in athletics eventually, but the personal cost was enormous. The gesture, condemned as unpatriotic in 1968, has been increasingly recognized as one of the defining acts of athletic protest. In 2005, San Jose State University unveiled a 22-foot statue of Smith and Carlos on campus, fists raised.