John Carlos: Looking Back at a Raised Fist and at a Raised Consciousness

John Carlos is probably best known for what seemed to be an act of defiance in the face of the world’s most recognizable event: the 1968 Summer Olympics. But for him and U.S. track and field teammate Tommie Smith, it was an expression of protest against racism in the United States that they felt the world should know about. It’s been more than four decades and eleven Olympiads since he and Smith, wearing their bronze and gold medals, respectively, raised their fists in Black Power salutes to a stunned world. But after all Carlos went through at those games and in the years afterward, he is still eager to talk about it and tells his tale in a book released this year: The John Carlos Story. He spoke with TIME about his experiences from his home in Palm Springs, Calif.

Read more: http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/10/16/john-carlos-looking-back-at-a-raised-fist-and-at-a-raised-consciousness/#ixzz29Ta94Q3X

Keith Conning:
John Carlos (Machine and Metal Trades High School, Manhattan, NY; East Texas State; San Jose State University)