San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
John Carlos:
Fist-raising runner still striving for equality 50 years after 1968 Games.
It has been nearly 50 years since John Carlos won a bronze medal in the 200-meter race at the 1968 Summer Olympics and, in what would become a resounding political statement, raised a fist on the podium.
Despite the passage of time, Carlos says, part of what stirred him to the gesture remains an issue today.
“Anytime people are in a trying situation in life, it’s not the norm, and no one can sit back and accept it being the norm,” said Carlos, 73. “This is why I’ve been for 50 years, or 50-plus years, fighting for equality for all individuals — not just for black people, but for all people.”
Wednesday, Carlos was among the panel speakers at “CourseCon: Oakland,” a community forum geared toward strengthening ties and preventing violence. The panel was moderated by Omar Jahwar, founder of Dallas-based nonprofit Urban Specialists, and included activists and NFL players and Oakland natives Marshawn Lynch and Marcus Peters.
“It’s about making people inclusive,” Carlos said, “and making them aware of the problems that we have within our society and trying to solve these problems from within.”
In 20-plus minutes on stage, Carlos emphasized a theme of “unification.” He recalled his father telling him about discrimination experienced while serving in World War I, and illustrated how the gesture he made in Mexico City in 1968 — closing his fingers and thumb into a fist — conveyed that: “When we come together, then we become that powerful force.”
Carlos and Tommie Smith were teammates at San Jose State when they competed in the 1968 Olympics. After the 200 meters, in which Smith won gold, both stood on the podium with their heads down and black-gloved fists raised as the national anthem played.
Political protest in sports has become a controversial topic again, particularly in the NFL, since then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the anthem in 2016 to call attention to social injustice. President Trump repeatedly spoke against players kneeling or sitting for the anthem last year. Last month the NFL adopted a policy requiring players to stand for the anthem when on the field, allowing the option for teams to fine them if they do not.
Carlos said he would like to see the current administration invite NFL players and others for a discussion about issues that are leading them to protest.
“The president’s talking about (how) football players need to stay in the locker room,” Carlos said. “The NFL commissioner might say you stay in the locker room or you can’t take a knee outside in public, or you can’t take a seat in public, or you can’t put your fist up.
“But the bottom line is when you sit back and think about it, these individuals have a right by the First Amendment — freedom of speech and freedom of expression. And they’re expressing themselves. The president’s saying they shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”