Today, 1968, Tommy Smith and John Carlos took to the stage after the 200-yard dash at the Olympics in Mexico City and created one of the most important protest images in our history.

Yes, they threw away the fame and fortune that followed after winning gold and bronze medals, but Carlos replied to that with the following: “a lot of the [Black] athletes thought that winning [Olympic] medals would supersede or protect them from racism. But even if you won a medal, it ain’t going to save your momma. It ain’t going to save your sister or children. It might give you 15 minutes of fame, but what about the rest of your life?”

Also, little is said about the white Australian runner named Peter Norman who was on the stand with Carlos and Smith. Norman, who won the silver medal, attached an Olympic Project for Human Rights patch onto his chest to show his solidarity. Norman suffered immense personal and professional consequences for the rest of his life.


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