1968 Olympics | samwalkup

When and Where- October 16th, 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Leaders- John Carlos and Tommie Smith ("The Man" "Gary Younge").

Goal- To help stop racial discrimination of black people in the United States ("1968: Black" "n.d").

Summary- John Carlos and Tommie Smith staged a silent protest during the 1968 Olympics. They did this after the 200m dash. Carlos won gold and Smith won bronze. While standing on the podium, during the American National Anthem, they bowed their heads and held up a fist with a black glove on it. They both wore black socks and no shoes. Smith also wore a black scarf around his neck. As they left the podium, they received many boos from the crowd ("1968: Black" "n.d").

Consequences- Carlos and Smith were kicked out of the games and struggled to find work. The tension between blacks and whites in America increased, and become more violent. Supporters of the protest were frowned upon. Peter Norman, who won silver and supported the protest, had a very difficult life because of his support ("Iconic Olympic" "A Dimond").

Result- The protest was unsuccessful because it just created more tension between whites and blacks.

What makes it special- This protest was unique because it happened at the Olympics. It also showed that black people can be better than white people at things, in this case running.

Peter Norman Tommie Smith John Carlos

Statue located at San Jose' State University

Citations

Lee, Jimson. "Redirect Notice." Redirect Notice. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

Younge, Gary. "The Man Who Raised a Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympic Games." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

"BBC ON THIS DAY | 17 | 1968: Black Athletes Make Silent Protest." BBC News. BBC, 17 Oct. 1968. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

Dimond, A. "Iconic Olympic Moments: The Black Power Salute." Bleacher Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.