Before Colin Kaepernick took a knee, there was Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Before Colin Kaepernick kneeled down during the national anthem, there were Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics putting their black leather gloved fists balled up in the air during the national anthem.

By Gladys W. MuturiPublished 3 months ago • 3 min read

Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Before former quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem in 2016 garnering national media attention and receiving praise from the black community and hate from conservative Americans showing it as a sign of "disrespect", there were black sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos took the stand putting on their black leather glove during the national anthem at the Olympic Stadium during the 1960s. Their protest garnered national media attention and caused them to be banned from sports until years after their protest they had gained respect.

This is how the protest changed history.

October 16, 1968

It was the 1968 Olympics at Mexico City following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April, and the murder of Robert Kennedy in June. Police violence and poverty burdened Black communities in ways that attracted international attention. Black American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos were competing in the 200-meter dash. Smith was placed in first place and Carlos was placed in third place.

After they received their medals, the national anthem began to play. As the U.S. national anthem played during the ceremony, the two men bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists in a protest against racial discrimination in the U.S. Both men wore black socks with no shoes, Smith wore a black scarf around his neck and wore his black glove on the right while Carlos wore his black glove on the left. Peter Norman from Australia also wears an OPHR badge in solidarity with Smith and Carlos. The next day, the U.S. Olympic Committee threatened other athletes with stern disciplinary action if they engaged in demonstrations. Acting USOC Director Everett Barnes issued a formal statement to the Olympic International Committee condemning Smith and Carlos calling their protest “devilish”. The USOC suspended Smith and Carlos from the Olympic team. Most whites deemed the protest as a sign of racism towards whites. While most blacks praised their protests as a sign of standing up against prejudice that had been going on during the 1960s.

Smith continued in athletics, playing in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals before becoming an assistant professor of physical education at Oberlin College. In 1995, he helped coach the US team at the World Indoor Championships in Barcelona. In 1999, he was awarded the California Black Sportsman of the Millennium Award. Smith would retire from sports and become a public speaker. As for Carlos, he continued sprinting then he tried professional football and was a 15th-round selection in the 1970 NFL Draft, but a knee injury curtailed his tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles. He then went on to the Canadian Football League, where he played one season for the Montreal Alouettes. In 1982, Carlos worked with the Organizing Committee for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1985, he became a track and field coach at Palm Springs High School.

Smith collaborated with award-winning author Derrick Barnes and illustrator Dawud Anyabwile on the book, which tells the story.

Smith and Carlos received an Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2008 ESPY Awards honoring their action.

In 2012, the Australian House of Representatives formally passed an apology to Norman, with MP Andrew Leigh telling Parliament that Norman's gesture "was a moment of heroism and humility that advanced international awareness of racial inequality."

In 2018, the Australian Olympic Committee awarded Norman posthumously the AOC Order of Merit for his involvement in the protest, with AOC President John Coates stating:

"We've been negligent in not recognizing the role he played back then."

"If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight."
~Tommie Smith

Years later, former Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National anthem while he was protesting for racial injustice similar to their event. Smith and Carlos have shown their support for Kaepernick even met with the former 49er.