African American Separatism: Black Power at the Olympics

The iconic image of athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising there hands in the Black Power salute after receiving the Gold and Bronze medals for the 200m at the 1968 Olympic Games is one that made a massive impact on the African American Separatist movement, bringing the issue of American Civil Rights to a huge worldwide audience.

Smith and Carlos received their medals shoeless, but wearing black socks, in a representation of poverty for African Americans. Also, Smith wore a black scarf around his neck to represent black pride, Carlos unzipped his tracksuit top in a show of solidarity for all blue collar workers in the U.S. and wore a necklace of beads which, as he described "were for those individuals that were lynched, or killed and that no-one said a prayer for, that were hung and tarred. It was for those thrown off the side of the boats in the middle passage."

Along with Smith and Carlos, silver medallist Peter Norman, a white Australian, wore badges in support of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Norman, a known critic of his country's "White Australia Policy" expressed empathy with the American athletes' ideals, even suggesting that Carlos, who had actually left his set of black gloves back at the Olympic village, wear Smith's left glove so that they could both give the salute.

The outcry that ensued in the aftermath of the event was staggering. It made front page news across the world and truly became one of the most iconic images in the Black separatist movement, due to its iconography and association with the Black Panther party. The US sporting establishment ostracized Smith and Carlos and were widely criticised by the mainstream media. After their immediate suspension from the Olympics and upon returning home, they were subject to death threats and abuse. Even Peter Norman received a similar reaction in Australia. The media lambasted him for his part in the protest and he was reprimanded by the Australian Olympic authorities, leading to his non-selection for the 1972 Olympics despite coming third in trials.

By protesting in this way Smith and Carlos asked the question that if they were good enough to represent the USA and win medals for their country in the Olympics, then why were they still not good enough to be a fully fledged citizen of American society? As Tommie Smith said soon after winning the Gold medal, "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight."