Silent Gesture

By Tommie Smith and David Steele

Foreword By: Dr. Adewala Troutman

Director Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness

Associate Professor University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, Adjunct Professor Morehouse School of Medicine President and CEO The Troutman Group

Walking down Southern Boulevard in the South Bronx on a bright Saturday afternoon, I came upon several Black men traveling in the opposite direction.  As the distance between us narrowed, our eyes connected in a knowing stare.  A few more steps and we were just a few feet from each other.  Then as if by an unseen synchronous timer, we all raised a clenched right fist and enthusiastically and genuinely declared our brotherhood and our commitment to our collective struggle with a “peace my brother”.  The unmistakable recognition of unity, brotherhood and the awareness of our common history, our collective struggle and the affirming nature of our future was uplifting and warming to say the least.  This is the way it was for me in the 60’s.  This was my reality in 1968 as a rising senior at Lehman College in the Bronx. As an athlete, African percussionist and activist in our black student organization this was my life.

I have always believed that the 60’s was the most uplifting and at the same time turbulent period in the modern history of the United States.  The convergence of the Civil Rights Movement the Black Power Movement, the African Nationalist Movement mixed with a growing concern over the Vietnam War, and the tragic assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, John and Bobby Kennedy made this a period like no other.  The militance of the Panthers, the stance of the Nation Of Islam and the governmental response to a period that can only be described as one of revolutionary intensity and zeal that may never be repeated.  IT was also a period of unequaled struggle for the liberation of African countries from the yoke of colonialism and a major fight to end apartheid in South Africa.  It was a time of cultural awakening, African names and the internal push pull between non-violence and self defense.

As an athlete and an activist, there was never an issue between the struggle for life, liberation and human and civil rights and any “game “ I was involved in.  It was in this historical, sociological and political milieu of the 60’s that the Mexico City Olympics loomed as a major global stage for athletic competition. However it was athletic competition in the backdrop of an American history saturated with the reality of racial oppression, an all consuming African liberation movement, European strife and the killing of over 250, unarmed students in that city leading up to the Olympics. Amazingly the Olympic committee had even made a decision to allow an integrated team of South Africans to compete in the games.

I watched as the black athletes talked of boycott.  I listened as the debate over the plight of Blacks in America was discussed as an issue that had to be highlighted in the international arena.  After all, hadn’t Malcolm X himself taught that the plight of Blacks in America was an issue of violation of Human rights and required an international airing?  I was proud when it seemed as if the worlds best athletes looked as if they were going to shock the world by voting through the withholding of their athletic skills and demand by their absence that true liberation for Blacks in America had to be realized.

When the games began in October of 68, I watched with great anticipation to marvel at the athletic feats of the gifted men and women who did agree to compete but also in wonderment of what statements of Black solidarity would be evidenced in Mexico City.  I watched and watched as did all my friends, fellow activists, athletes, family and it seemed, the entire Black community.  Then it happened, the 200-meter race was upon us.  The U.S. team had Tommie Smith and John Carlos in the race.  I remember as I sat in front of the TV and watched the competition.  I love track and field and what a joy it is to watch gifted athletes demonstrate their love for the sport and their athletic prowess as they gracefully and powerfully cover distances as if it were but a few steps to a finish line 200 meters away, a distance to be covered by less that 20 seconds. The tension before the gun was heightened by the sound of the blast from its muzzle signaling the beginning of the race. A mere 19.83 seconds later and it was over.  Tommie Smith had set a new world record and captured the coveted gold medal while John Carlos finished third and captured the bronze.  I was overjoyed at the 1,3 finish of my brothers (I would have preferred 1,2 but 1,3 was cool).  Great accomplishments like that always lifted us all as we constantly looked for mages that affirmed our greatness and destroyed the myths of Blacks as less than.  I had heard of Tommie Smith and it was a great pleasure to see him run.  I had no idea that that day in Mexico would give me, the movement and the world an image of courage, commitment and the power of the human spirit that would go down in history as one of the most striking images and examples of internal strength ever displayed not only in the Games but in the history of the world itself.

What happened is of course history.  It is documented in film, photos, exhibits such as the one at the new Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, historical texts and an HBO special.  It is seared in the hearts and minds of millions and served as one of those dramatic boosts in the commitment to an ideal that is irreproachable in its genuiness, and timeless in its righteousness.  IT speaks to the universal nature of freedom and the ability of courage and commitment to make the world right.  IT is an image that spoke loudly to the entire world that Blacks in America were suffering, denied basic human rights and standing up to demand an end to it.  IT spoke of our collective commitment to stand up as a community of free people entitled to equality and justice to be denied us by no one.

You knew something amazing was about to happen as the swift gladiators of African descent whose ancestors survived the middle passage, slavery, the KKK, lynching, the Black Codes, Jim Crow, racial segregation and legislated American apartheid approached the winners stand.  The black socks stood out in contrast to the track surface and the uniforms of the American team.  As they climbed the stand I remember my heart racing in anticipation of the ceremony.  The thrill of seeing my brothers, the best in the world getting their due was inspiring.  Then it happened.  As the anthem began to play these two giants or world athletics, these Black men of destiny lowered their heads and first one right fist covered with a black glove was raised by Tommie Smith and then the Left black gloved fist of John Carlos was raised to signify to the world that Blacks in America had yet to reach the promised land of justice and equality. It also stated that there is no separation of parts of life and existence when it comes to the life and death of a people.

In that moment Tommie Smith, gold medallist and Olympic champion became the enduring champion of the Black community and one my personal heroes along with the likes of Malcolm X, Denmark Vesey and Frederick Douglass.  That was almost 40 years ago.  The image of that day is as clear today as it was then.  I would have kept that image of Tommie Smith in my heart and soul forever had I not had the unexpected privilege of meeting the man behind the icon a few years ago.

I have since had the honor of working with him in advocating and organizing for the health and wellness of the African American community.  The absence of that health and wellness is yet another example that his stand in 1968 is as relevant today as it was then.  I had the honor of sitting with family and friends of Tommie as the statue paying tribute to him and John Carlos was unveiled on the campus of San Jose State University and most recently as Tommie has become the guiding force in a national movement to address the health and fitness of African American children through Track and Field.  This effort aimed directly at the tragedy of the obesity and type II Diabetes epidemic that is most dramatically affecting African American children.

Tommie has become a friend and I watch as others line up for his autograph, a handshake and an opportunity to take a photo with him.  You see, he was right.  He displayed courage, commitment and placed his focus at that moment in history away from himself and squarely on the plight of a people just as those who have become icons for our people have always done.  He deserves the love and respect of all people fore when one displays the true uniqueness of humanity and pays the price for sacrifice, that he is a true hero.  He is one who must be praised, appreciated and held up as an example of what God intended. He must be respected and held up as an example for our youth.

But Tommie Smith is a humble man, a thoughtful man, a spiritual man loved by all he touches.  We see through the looking glass of the past as example of how personal courage and a mission endure the wear of the years.  Although many do not remember the name, it seems that all remember the image of the silent gesture that will forever signify freedom from oppression and the struggle for dignity and equality.