Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico summer olympics

[vlyons]

For those of you too young to remember, black atheletes have been at the forefront of protesting institutional racism. I give you the heroic stand of African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I keep thinking about this; remember it well.

Those guys took an enormous amount of shit for that gesture.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. They did, indeed.........

but it was also "lost" in the time because of the Vietnam war protests sharing time with all of the civil rights events going on.
Those "long-haired hippie peaceniks" were causing havoc all over the place, and the politics were in chaos also, what with Johnson trying to keep the government in order against Democratic opponents Bobby Kennedy and Gene McCarthy, as well as Hubert Humphrey, then Vice President, trying to set himself up as the Democratic candidate while at the same time being Vice President. Then the Republicans had Nixon (yep, back again!) and Nelson Rockefeller wanting to be the Republican candidates.
It was a tough time and tempers flared and continued to escalate through it all.
There are many similarities to today, sad to say.

[vlyons]

2. Oh if only today's black atheletes

rather than sit it out in the locker room, would come out and stand together to give the black-fisted salute. Trump would be apoplectic.

[Aristus]

3. Those guys were so brave.

And their protest was so beautiful and eloquent.

And the Australian runner who won the silver medal supported the protest with a solidarity button. It did not turn out well for him back home...

[Leghorn21]

5. Peter Norman. I knew nothing of him until just a few years ago...thought he was just "there". Wrong.

Last edited Sun Sep 24, 2017, 08:34 PM - Edit history (1)

From wiki:


Norman wore a badge on the podium in support of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). After the final, Carlos and Smith had told Norman what they were planning to do during the ceremony.

As journalist Martin Flanagan wrote; "They asked Norman if he believed in human rights. He said he did. They asked him if he believed in God. Norman, who came from a Salvation Army background, said he believed strongly in God. We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, 'I'll stand with you'." Carlos said he expected to see fear in Norman's eyes. He didn't; "I saw love."[11]

On the way out to the medal ceremony, Norman saw the OPHR badge being worn by Paul Hoffman, a white member of the US Rowing Team, and asked him if he could wear it.[12] It was Norman who suggested that Smith and Carlos share the black gloves used in their salute, after Carlos left his pair in the Olympic Village.[4] This is the reason for Smith raising his right fist, while Carlos raised his left.

...Peter was vilified back in Australia upon his return. He eventually fell into drink, drugs and depression, and died in October, 2006.

Tommie and John attended his funeral.

[MyOwnPeace]

6. Thank you, Leghorn!

I did not know about that.

Sad...............