John Carlos

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Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games: Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Olympic protests, 1968

John Carlos

American athlete

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Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games: Tommie Smith and John Carlos — Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games: Tommie Smith and John Carlos American track medalists Tommie Smith (centre) and John Carlos raising black-gloved fists at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

John Carlos is an American athlete most recognized for his participation in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City alongside teammate Tommie Smith. While Smith won the 200-meter dash, both athletes made a historic statement during the medal ceremony. Shoeless to symbolize Black poverty, they raised black-gloved fists during the playing of the U.S. national anthem, a gesture known as a Black Power salute. This silent protest was a powerful demonstration for human rights and drew significant international attention, becoming a defining moment in the civil rights movement. Despite facing criticism and death threats, their actions highlighted the ongoing struggles for African Americans.123

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Tommie Smith
…attention when he and teammate John Carlos gave the Black Power salute. It became a defining moment in the civil rights movement and an enduring example of athlete activism.
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…attention when he and teammate John Carlos gave the Black Power salute. It became a defining moment in the civil rights movement and an enduring example of athlete activism.
Read More

Olympic Games
Mexico City, Mexico, 1968
…run, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood in black socks, each with head bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised in the Black-power salute during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest…
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…run, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood in black socks, each with head bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised in the Black-power salute during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest…
Read More

Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games
run, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood in black socks, each with head bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised in the Black-power salute during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest…
Read More
run, Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos (gold and bronze medalists, respectively) stood in black socks, each with head bowed and a single black-gloved fist raised in the Black-power salute during the national anthem. The athletes described the gesture as a tribute to their African American heritage and a protest…
Read More

Howard Cosell
…Black-power salutes made by sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 summer Olympic Games. Such was Cosell’s fame as the commentator for Monday Night Football that it was said that possibly most Americans first learned that former Beatle John Lennon had been shot and killed in 1980 when…
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…Black-power salutes made by sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 summer Olympic Games. Such was Cosell’s fame as the commentator for Monday Night Football that it was said that possibly most Americans first learned that former Beatle John Lennon had been shot and killed in 1980 when…
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