Raised-fist Olympians punished in 1968 will be received at White House

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. | Sun Sep 25, 2016 | 6:47pm EDT

Raised-fist Olympians punished in 1968 will be received at White House

By Sharon Bernstein and Alex Dobuzinskis

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the two African-American athletes sent home from the 1968 Olympic Games for their raised-fist protest on the medal podium, will receive a long-awaited moment of redemption at a U.S. team event at the White House this week.

The two were invited by the U.S. Olympic Committee to attend a gala dinner on Wednesday in Washington honoring the 2016 Olympic team and accompany the team to meet President Barack Obama at the White House the following day, Carlos told Reuters on Sunday.

The image of Smith and Carlos, gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter track event in Mexico City, thrusting their black-gloved fists into the air, has become an enduring symbol of the fight for racial equality.

Their example has surfaced repeatedly in past weeks as an inspiration to African-American National Football League and college players protesting racial injustice after the fatal shootings of several black men by police.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-usa-protests-idUSKCN11V0VW

[SusanCalvin]

1. Oh, this made me smile.

I was going to ask about Peter Norman, but I see he is no longer with us.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Norman

[sheshe2]

2. Another wrong righted by this President.

Thank you, Eugene.

[kwassa]

3. Tommie Smith became a track coach at Oberlin College ...

I grew up in Oberlin. He had a gold Porsche and was dating one of my high school teachers. I had never seen a Porsche before.

[mountain grammy]

5. I'm so glad about this and only wish Peter Norman was still alive.

I recently read a story about the close relationship he had with Smith and Carlos. They were pall bearers at his funeral.

I remember this so well, my son was 6 months old. I never thought it was a "black power" salute like everyone got so worked up about and I completely agreed with their gesture. Life in the streets was actually worse in those days. You know why? No cameras. People just died because they resisted arrest, ran into my flashlight, case closed, go home, shut up.

My first husband was furious, all kinds of righteous anger. Another reason he's my first husband.

[brer cat]

6. Good news!

They raised the consciousness of many people who needed to reflect on our system of racial injustice. They deserved applause not condemnation for their quiet action. It was a very powerful moment.