“Of all the beaches in the world, one grain of sand had my name on it. Any man could’ve done it,” said John Carlos. Carlos is a man not often remembered by his name alone but immediately recognized by a raised fist and the word “Ol
“Of all the beaches in the world, one grain of sand had my name on it. Any man could’ve done it,” said John Carlos. Carlos is a man not often remembered by his name alone but immediately recognized by a raised fist and the word “Olympics.”
At the age of 22, Carlos won the 1968 Olympic track and field bronze medal in Mexico City. During the awards ceremony, he and Tommie Smith, the gold medalist, bowed their heads and raised their black gloved fist, a black power symbol of the turbulent time. Immediately, that act resounded across the world and affected the track stars lives tremendously.
“If they could’ve hit us with poison darts, they would have. At first, everybody was hollering, congratulating us and suddenly it got quiet. All this venom and hatred emerged. People would scream ‘the greatest man in the country should be run out of the country’,” said Carlos, who at the time was the fastest man in the world.
“I felt like a free man who stepped up to the plate in a positive way, firm and nice, not obscene,” said Carlos.” He said the atrocities that Blacks endured motivated him to do “something” the world would recognize.
Carlos said his only remorse was his lack of concern for his family. His first wife committed suicide. She was constantly harassed and received numerous death threats. “My children didn’t understand why or what. You don’t think how that stuff affects your family. I should’ve put more emphasis on my family,” said Carlos.
Carlos was concerned about what his mother thought after the demonstration. She was a registered nurse at Bellevue Hospital in New York where her co-workers informed her of his action. Carlos said her only worry was if someone had killed him. “My dad taught me to climb, go beyond me,” said Carlos.
Three days after the ceremony, the military honorably discharged both of Carlos’ brothers. Carlos said the brothers didn’t know what happened or why they were discharged. “The officials must’ve thought the fire runs deep and they couldn’t have that in the military,” said Carlos.
Charlene, Carlos’ wife of 28 years, is the fire in his torch, Carlos said. “Behind every good man there’s a good woman. We’re desparados,” said Carlos.
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