John Carlos

thumb|John Carlos thumb|American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, along with Australian Peter Norman, during the award ceremony of the 200 m race at the 1968 Mexican Olympic games. John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945) is an American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith. He went on to tie the world record in the 100-yard dash and beat the 200 meters world record (although the latter achievement was never certified). After his track career, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Canadian Football League but retired due to injury. He became involved with the United States Olympic Committee and helped to organize the 1984 Summer Olympics. Following this, he became a track coach at Palm Springs High School. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2003. Quotes I went into the stadium, and I felt the same vibes that I felt in Mexico 50 years ago.It felt like I was coming home. When we went to Mexico City, there was like a bright sun that shined on the universe, and by the time we came home, it was like a big storm came. Well, I ask him if the rules state that I can't come out and have a cup of coffee with him. It was not a Black Power demonstration. If you want to see Black Power, that would be our black fannies running down the track, We were concerned about human rights, humanity. And that crosses every sector of society. In terms of dealing with civil rights, a snail has moved farther in that 50 years than we have moved. When they come at you, rest assured, you're on the right track. John Carlos: Still fighting, 50 years on, October 14 2018 As a teenager, a young black man, I was born dead so for someone to put a threat on my life, my philosophy was 'I'm going to die anyway. I was born into this world to be on that podium in October 1968 in Mexico City to make that statement. I met Malcolm X as a child and had the opportunity to run through the streets with him for a year and a half to get as much knowledge from him as I could. He gave me the foundation and Martin gave me the wisdom to present myself in Mexico City where we could make a resounding statement that would reach the far ends of the earth - a non-violent statement but a pungent statement at the same time. We caught everyone by surprise - people who were there in the stadium and shocked viewers around the world watching on television. It was not about that medal around your neck but about trying to make it a better situation for your children and your children's children. We received more international sympathy outside the United States than inside, where we received a lot of abuse. We were making a statement as young black individuals after 480 years of oppression. The modern Olympics these days are pretty much in the same vein as the old Olympics. I don't think they have changed their mentality and realised that times have changed. Everything is changing around them and eventually they are going to have to realise that if they don't make the necessary changes the Olympics is going to cave in on them. The United States is further down the line in relation to equality and opposition to racism but there is still an awful lot of racism going on. There has to be a starting point. People are on the move. You don't make change instantaneously - it is a process where people become inclusive. John Carlos: 1968 Olympics protest 'a resounding statement that would reach the far ends of the earth', June 29 2021 External links Category:1945 births Category:Track and field athletes Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from the United States Category:African Americans