John Carlos tells the story about
why he raised his fist while being awarded a medal in the 1968 Mexico City
Olympics.
People from around the world have
seen the photograph of Tommy Smith and John Carlos raising their fists with
black gloves when they won medals in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. In his book The John Carlos Story, written with Dave Zirin, Carlos explains why
he made that stand and why he would do it again.
John Carlos’ early years
The story of John Carlos begins
in Harlem, New York. His father, Earl
Vanderbilt Carlos, was a veteran of the first world war and worked twelve hour
days in his shoe repair shop. His mother
Violis Carlos was born in Jamaica, lived in Cuba till the age of 17, and worked
on the night shift as a nursing assistant.
John Carlos felt that he was
lucky to be raised by both parents. Many
of his friends only had one parent. Some
of these friends would visit the Carlos home so they might have enough food to
eat.
From an early age young John
Carlos had a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. He understood that there were many in Harlem
who did not have enough food to eat and he and his crew decided to do something
about it.
There was a rail yard near where
he lived where large amounts of food were stored. Carlos and his crew would each take
containers of food, run from the police, and distribute that food to people who
were in need. This gave him the
reputation of a modern-day Robin Hood.
John Carlos’ first sport was
swimming. He was a natural athlete and
won the 200 meter freestyle New York City championship. Carlos had dreams of going to the Olympics in
the swimming competition and his father researched what he would have to do to
achieve that goal.
Earl Carlos discovered that his
son would not be allowed to properly train for the Olympics in swimming because
he was Black. When John Carlos began to
understand the ramifications of what that would mean, this was one of the
changing moments in his life.
Because of his background, John
Carlos was inspired by Malcolm X who was well known in Harlem. Young Carlos made it a habit of running with
Malcolm X as Malcolm rapidly walked to all of his appointments. By doing this Carlos was able to ask Malcolm
questions on many issues and the two became acquaintances.
Because John Carlos had dyslexia,
he never had very good academic grades.
Although he became an excellent track and field athlete, many of the
better schools would not give him a scholarship because of his academic record.
Carlos received a scholarship in
East Texas where he learned first hand what the realities of Jim Crow segregation
were. He also learned how he was not the
only person on his track team who challenged that system.
The 1968 Olympics
After Carlos left East Texas he
became involved in the movement to boycott the 1968 Olympics. The reason for this boycott was the fact that
Black people in the United States continued to be second-class citizens, even
after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
Many celebrities, including
Martin Luther King supported the idea of the boycott. However, after the assassination of King many
of the athletes abandoned the idea of the boycott. For these reasons John Carlos and others
decided that they would compete in the 1968 Olympics.
Before the Mexico City Olympic
games, Mexican students protested the fact that resources were being used for
the Olympics while poverty and a lack of educational opportunities existed for
the people of that nation.
The Mexican government decided to
respond to these demonstrations with brutal repression. The armed forces of Mexico murdered hundreds
if not thousands of demonstrators. It
was in this atmosphere that the Mexico City Olympic games began.
Tommy Smith and John Carlos were
the ones who protested the inhumanity of those times by raising their gloved
fists in the air as they received medals for winning their event. Their protest showed the world the other side
to the history of Black people in the United States. Their attire symbolized the lynchings, the
humiliating jobs, and the poverty Black people endured. However, their protest also demonstrated how
defiance was the characteristic that gave black people their humanity.
As The Star Spangled Banner
played and the gloved fists were raised in the air, there was silence in the
Olympic stadium. This silence was
followed by boos from spectators who were upset by this protest during the
games.
The consequences of their protest
After the Olympics both Smith and
Carlos had difficulty finding work. This
underscores the fact that freedom of speech, which is supposed to be guaranteed
by the constitution, doesn’t exist when people are critical of the powerful
forces in this country.
Many people have the impression
that John Carlos returned his medal to the International Olympic
Committee. In fact, Carlos refused to
give back his medal and stated that the IOC could come to Harlem and see how
far they would get if they tried to take the medal back.
Carlos was able to eventually
find work as a guidance counselor and he never regretted his protest in the
Olympics. To the contrary, a statue was
built in Smith and Carlos’ honor and ESPN produced a documentary featuring
their protest.
When we think about the current
2012 Olympics in London, we might also consider how two young men chose to risk
their careers to protest some of the injustices in the world. This is the kind of courage that young people
will need in order to take on the powerful interests and make this planet a
much better place to live.
