In 1968, sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos clenched their fists in protest during the Mexico City Olympics after winning the gold and bronze medals for the 200-meter sprint.

In 1968, sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos clenched their fists in protest during the Mexico City Olympics after winning the gold and bronze medals for the 200-meter sprint. 

During the medal ceremony, Smith and Carlos dressed in black socks and no shoes as a symbol for African American Poverty, a black glove symbolizing unity and strength, and a scarf and beads in honor of lynching victims. They bowed their heads and raised their fists as the United States National Anthem played. 

Peter Norman, the Australian silver medalist, also joined the protest in solidarity by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge on his uniform.⠀

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The Black Power salute was a human rights protest and one of the most powerful political statements in the history of the modern Olympic Games. 

While their gesture attracted the attention of international audiences and gained support from around the world, Smith and Carlos were suspended by the U.S. Olympic Committee and ostracized at home. 

Credit: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History