Photo: Singer-athlete Paul Robeson, 1963 (AP Photo) / Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, May 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) / Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali , Dec. 3, 2009 (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
Among the most recognized athlete protests is the Black power fist in the air salute by Olympic track athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
Both were track and field stars at San Jose State in the 1960s. And it was in college where the seeds of protest were implanted.
During their time there, Harry Edwards, a professor in the department of Sociology, founded the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) in 1967. He also formed the Olympic Committee for Human Rights (OCHR). The groups protested against apartheid in South Africa, racism in the United States, and racism in sports.
Smith and Carlos became members of the OPHR, as were other prominent athletes of the time. While the OPHR decided to organize a boycott of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, many Black athletes felt torn about the OPHR boycott because they didn’t want to abandon the opportunity to compete, which they saw as a way to promote Black excellence worldwide.
Smith and Carlos, integral members of the OPHR, went on to Mexico City as part of the U.S. Olympic Team. They competed, with Smith finishing first in the 200-meter dash, setting a new world record. Carlos finished third.
They decided to each wear one black glove, and when they stood on the podium to accept their medals, they raised their gloved fist into the air as the American National Anthem played. They also wore no shoes, just black socks, to symbolize the poverty in Black America.
Their silent protest did not go unpunished. The International Olympic Committee kicked them out of the Olympic Village. They faced criticism and even death threats when they returned home, according to the Arthur Ashe Legacy at the University of California, Los Angeles.
