Q. 75.0( 1 Vote )

Why did Tommie Smith and John Carlos wear black and no shoes in the medal ceremony of 1968 Olympics?

Answer :

The 1968 Olympics was held in Mexico City. Two players named Tommie Smith and John Carlos, an African-American athletes had won gold and bronze respectively in 200m race. They raised their voice against racism and discrimination in the US, during the medal ceremony they stood with clenched fists upraised, head bowed wearing black socks and no shoes while the American anthem was played.

They represented themselves on behalf of that population which were discriminated in the United States on the basis of creed and colour.

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RELATED QUESTIONS :

Read the following passage from a famous speech by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, Which social division is he talking about? What are his aspirations and anxieties? Do you see a relationship between this speech and the incident in Mexico Olympics mentioned in this chapter?

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content f their character. Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring-when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children-black men and white men, jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics-will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: ‘Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!’ I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of this creed: ‘ we hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal’.”

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