Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Summer Olympics (1968)

Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Summer Olympics (1968)

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 4.19

A Photograph of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 19th Summer Olympics (1968)

A color photograph of the medals podium at the 1968 Olympic Games. Tommie Smith (the gold medalist, center), a Black man, is wearing a dark blue Team USA jacket and pants, a gold medal around his neck, and his right arm raised, his gloved right hand in a clenched fist. John Carlos (bronze medalist, right), a Black man, is also wearing a Team USA uniform with the bronze medal around his neck. His left arm is raised, his gloved left hand in a clenched fist. Peter Norman (silver medalist, left), a White man, i


Source: In this Rolls Press photograph, “The medal presentation for the Men’s 200 metres final at the 1968 Summer Olympics, American athletes, gold medalist Tommie Smith (in centre) and bronze medalist John Carlos (right) each raise a clenched fist and bow their heads during the US national anthem, as a human rights protest, while they stand on the podium with Australian silver medalist Peter Norman, in the Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City, Mexico on 16th October 1968. All three men wore badges expressing support for the Olympic Project for Human Rights; and Smith and Carlos’ gestures have been described (by the men themselves) as both Black Power and Human Rights salutes.” (Photo by Rolls Press/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Discussion Questions

  1. According to the citation for this image, what did Tommie Smith and John Carlos say was the message of their raised fists?
  2. Identify the symbols of nationhood, the Olympics, political identity, and personal identity that are part of this image. Which type of symbolism is the most prominent?
  3. How could you find out what happened to Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Peter Norman after the events featured in this image?