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oct 16, 1968 - 1968 Olympics

Description:

During a medal award ceremony at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, two African American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, held a fist high above their heads in protest during the US national anthem. At the time, America was in the middle of the civil rights movement and the fist (also known as the Black Power fist) symbolized strength and solidarity for Black people struggling to gain civil rights. The two athletes received a lot of criticism from the entire country. What these athletes did took a lot of courage, and their high profile protest still stands as a standard for protests in sports today.

Added to timeline:

Date:

oct 16, 1968
Now
~ 57 years ago

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