![]() ![]() But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. Smith later said, "If I win, I am American, not a black American. As they left the podium they were booed by the crowd. 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. ![]() ![]() For this reason, Carlos raised his left hand as opposed to his right, differing from the traditional Black Power salute. It was Peter Norman who suggested Carlos wear Smith's left-handed glove. īoth US athletes intended to bring black gloves to the event, but Carlos forgot his, leaving them in the Olympic Village. The famous picture of the event was taken by photographer John Dominis. 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, were inspired by Edwards' arguments. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the Middle Passage." All three athletes wore Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) badges after Norman, a critic of Australia's former White Australia Policy, expressed empathy with their ideals. Smith wore a black scarf around his neck to represent black pride, Carlos had his tracksuit top unzipped to show solidarity with all blue-collar workers in the US 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. The two US athletes received their medals shoeless, but wearing black socks, to represent black poverty. After the race was completed, the three went to the podium for their medals to be presented by David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter. Australia's Peter Norman finished second with a time of 20.06 seconds (an Oceania record that still stands), and the US's John Carlos finished in third place with a time of 20.10 seconds. On the morning of October 16, 1968, US athlete Tommie Smith won the 200-meter race with a world-record time of 19.83 seconds. Main article: Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres ![]()
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