Today in History: Tommie Smith raised fist at Mexico City Olympics
 

October 16, 1968:

The protest

On the morning of October 16, 1968,[2] U.S. athlete Tommie Smith won the 200 meter race in a then-world-record time of 19.83 seconds, with Australia's Peter Norman second with a time of 20.07 seconds, and the U.S.'s John Carlos in third place with a time of 20.10 seconds. After the race was completed, the three went to collect their medals at the podium. The two U.S athletes received their medals shoeless, but wearing black socks, to represent black poverty.[3] Smith wore a black scarf around his neck to represent black pride.[3] Carlos had his tracksuit top unzipped to show solidarity with all blue collar workers in the U.S. and wore a necklace of beads which he described "were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed and 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."[4] All three athletes wore Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) badges, after Norman expressed sympathy with their ideals. Sociologist Harry Edwards, the founder of the OPHR, had urged black athletes to boycott the games; reportedly, the actions of Smith and Carlos on October 16, 1968[2] were inspired by Edwards' arguments.[5]
Both U.S. athletes intended on bringing black gloves to the event, but Carlos forgot his, leaving them in the Olympic Village. It was the Australian, Peter Norman, who suggested Carlos wear Smith's left-handed glove, this being the reason behind him raising his left hand, as opposed to his right, differing from the traditional Black Power salute.[6] When "The Star-Spangled Banner" played, Smith and Carlos delivered the salute with heads bowed, a gesture which became front page news around the world. As they left the podium they were booed by the crowd.[7] Smith later said "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.

I posted this because this moment in time and that photograph has been one of the most powerful images and symbols of our reality.. deeper than the waves at redondo beach..

The Olympics are dope. I love them, the pomp, the competition, the politics just under the surface. love it all. love that for a few weeks every four years much of the world is riveted by athletic competition, taking pride in their national team members just being there. It is a beautiful thing.

I think the Olympics are the least important aspect of this thread.. ;) I didn't even know what events or games that was for the longest, but the image of resistance is powerful. Raise yr fists people..

Coincidently, yesterday, I met up with my friend in LA at his new house that he inherited from his family that was previouslyused to store random junk they collected over the years. He showed me a copy of the sports papers and flags from the '68 Olympics.

a thread for funny olympic stories and pics eh?

raise your fist at this gentlemen

you missed to point entirely.. don't take such an important moment and trivialize it please.. there are plenty of threads to do such..

raise yr fists..

Rubbish, crap, advertising, business, nationalism.

thats the olympics..

i'm not fucking talking about the olympics, I am talking about the powerful statement of a man raising his fist in resistance against a world system of oppression.. but fuck it, why would I think a bunch of white folks on SYG would understand black power? most of y'all are SCARED of black power..

Ok, black power..
Notice that these two fellows look down: they probably felt a bit stupid.
Pretending that raising one's fist could be politically meaningful!

yr just being silly now..

A fisted Olympic moment from 2008



And another...Jimmy Page played



Come to Chicago !

not the same shit and you know it..

I just saw the "raise yr fist's people !"

Is this any better ?

well.. not exactly.


these guys certainly figured it out though ;)