1968 - 2008: The anniversary of the fist salute

With the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing just days away, I was reflecting today on the Games that took place 40 years ago in Mexico City. Not being born at the time, when I think of those Olympics, only one moment stands out for me: the silent protest of the athletes at the medal ceremony for the 200 meter dash. It's a well known image, Tommie Smith (1st) and John Carlos (3rd) silently raising their fists during the playing of the US national anthem, symbolizing freedom and power over racism, head bowed down in prayer. I just bought a T-shirt online with stylised designs commemorating this event; I plan to wear it during this year's Olympics as my way to honour the message of those men.

Although its not well known, and hard to see from the images, both Smith and Carlos went shoeless on the podium to represent poverty. In addition, Peter Norman, the 2nd place winner from Australia, supported their protest statement by wearing a pin from the Olympic Project for Human Rights, the group the American duo was representing. Apparently, it was even Peter Norman's idea that the two Americans share the pair of black gloves; Tommie Smith wore the right, John Carlos the left.

There's was a certain elegance about this simple, hastily planned statement. Each had one square meter of real estate to themselves, that for one brief moment had the attention of the world. Sadly, the protest had negative repurcussions for the trio; most notably for Smith and Carlos who were expelled from the Olympic Village later that day and received death threats upon their return to the USA. (Norman, by comparison, was "only" prevented from participating at the following 1972 Summer Olympics, despite qualifying.) Though the gesture was meant to raise attention to the existence of inequality and to promote equal rights for minorities worldwide, not just in the United States, it was taken by many as symbolism related to aggression or of extremist factions of the Black Panthers, a US-based group which often had a reputation for violence at the time.

Interestingly, the raised clenched fist has symbolism for a wide range of groups to express solidarity, strength or defiance.