1968 Olympics Black Power salute
Photographer: John Dominis
Date: October 16, 1968
Location: Olympic Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
John Dominis of Life magazine photographed American sprinters Tommie Smith (gold) and John Carlos (bronze) raising their black-gloved fists during the medal ceremony for the 200-meter race at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics on October 16, 1968, while the U.S. national anthem played. Australian silver medalist Peter Norman also stood in solidarity, wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge. The gesture was intended as a human rights salute to protest racial inequality and poverty in the United States. Smith and Carlos were immediately suspended from the U.S. Olympic team and expelled from the Olympic Village by the International Olympic Committee. They faced years of public hostility and death threats upon returning home. Norman, who supported their protest, was also ostracized in Australia and not selected for the 1972 team. In 2005, Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at Norman's funeral. In 2016, they were awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The gesture and photograph are now considered landmark moments in the history of athlete activism.
← Explore all photos on the map
