In this 1968 Mexico Olympics photo everyone knows the raised fists that enraged many were a Black Power salute (gloves borrowed from the Australian athlete on podium) but Tommy Smith is also shoeless (protesting poverty) & has a black kerchief around his neck (protesting lynching). pic.twitter.com/Sdeg7NozAG
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) October 16, 2023
On this day in 1968 during the 200-meter race at the Mexico City Olympics US Olympic Team member Tommie Smith won the Gold Medal and his teammate Dr. John Carlos placed third. After receiving their medals on the podium and standing for the US National Anthem, they both raised their fists — creating an iconic moment of political activism.
The athletes were protesting the abuse of human rights in apartheid-era South Africa while displaying a show of solidarity with the struggle for civil rights in the United States. Organized as part of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, Smith and Carlos wanted to bring visibility to the oppression faced by many across the globe. The clenched or raised fist has often been used as a sign to express unity, strength, and resistance. 55 years on, Dr. John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s iconic protest remains a powerful call for social justice. Their message still resonates today. Let’s keep the dream alive and work towards the change they dared us to imagine all those years ago.
