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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2012)
R E U T E R S /A L E X G A L L A R D O Jo h n Carlos, participant o f the 1968 Olym pic Gam es, stands in fro n t o f a m ural made by students on the campus, at Palm Springs (C a lif) H ig h School, where he is a teacher and counselor. Olympian John Carlos reflects on the highly public and controversial stand for human rights he and others took in 1968 at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. He later worked with the city of Los Angeles to create possibilities for underserved communities. Carlos t the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, John Carlos rocked the world. After has continued to live true to his political beliefs, standing up for civil liberties and justice and winning the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash he—along with gold medalist Tommie Sm ith- against racism and greed. In 2011 he spoke at Occupy Wall Street in New York. Earlier this thrust his black-glove-clad fist into the sky to reflect solidarity with the civil rights movement month, he was in Oregon to deliver the 2012-2013 and the strength of the human spirit. They wore Whiteley Distinguished Lecture at Pacific black socks and no shoes to represent University in Forest Grove. Today he is a high school guidance counselor in Palm Springs, Calif. impoverished people who had no shoes of their own. Meanwhile, Peter Norman, the Australian J u l e s B o y k o ff: Why did you do your medal-stand silver medalist, stood with them in solidarity, protest at.the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City? pinning an Olympic Project for Human Rights button on his sweat jacket. It was an iconic J o h n C a r lo s : To set a standard. To have society moment that placed them under the international show its best face. To bring attention to the plight spotlight. Following the controversial ceremony, of people who were less fortunate. To wake up the they paid a price for their courageous gesture. consciousness of those who had let their Carlos and Smith were dismissed from the conscience go dormant. And to encourage people Olympic Village. The athletes were bombarded to stand for what’s right as opposed to standing for with death threats against them and their families. nothing. They were pilloried in the media as unpatriotic, J .B .: Your act generated a huge range o f responses. with young reporter Brent Musberger writing in For instance, one disgruntled person from Racine, the Chicago American that Carlos and Smith were Wisconsin, wrote in a letter to Avery Brundage, the “unimaginative blokes” and, even worse, “black International Olympic Committee president, “The skinned storm troopers” who had brought shame colored men who disgraced our country should be on their country. Carlos persevered, successfully shot fo r treason and nothing less!” O n the other hand, navigating a career in the N FL with the numerous people from around the world wrote Philadelphia Eagles and with the Montreal Brundage to say your act was dignified and that you Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He also * See JOHN CARLOS, page 5 represented Puma and carried the Olympic torch BY JULES BOYKOFF C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R A * AP PHOTO This now-iconic image from the 1968 Olym pic Gam es in M exico City shows bronze m edalist Jo h n Carlos, (right) with gold m edalist Tommie Sm ith raising their fists on the podium an d wearing Olym pic Project fo r H u m a n Rights badges. The third athlete is silver m edalist Peter N orm an from Australia, who wore a H u m a n Rights badge to show his support fo r the two Am ericans. Harm reduction ‘Sounding the Words and deeds fo r the 21st deeps of his century nature’ A talk with Harm Reduction Coalition president Allan Clear Remembering Nobel Prize-winning author shines new light on a martyred Page 4 Ted Jack Page 8 revolutionary Page 10
