*A half a century after the US Olympic Committee (USOC) expelled Tommie Smith and John Carlos over their Black Power salute, the organization has announced the two sprinters will FINALLY be inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame on November 1 for their “character, conduct and off-field contributions,” according to USA TODAY.
Smith, 75, and Carlos, 74, made headlines and history at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City when they raised their gloved fists on the medals stand to protest racial injustice against Blacks.
They were subsequently dismissed from the team and endured abuse and death threats back in the United States. They were also sidelined at the USOPC, but the federation looks to atone for its wrongdoing after announcing that the duo will be inducted into the USOC Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Colorado Springs on Nov. 1.
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Fifty-plus years after the U.S. Olympic Committee vilified Tommie Smith and John Carlos for taking a stand against racism and discrimination, it is issuing a mea culpa, @nrarmour writes. https://t.co/uo8Kg4ZQMc
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) September 24, 2019
“It sends the message that maybe we had to go back in time and make some conscious decisions about whether we were right or wrong,” Carlos told USA Today. “They’ve come to the conclusion that, ‘Hey man, we were wrong. We were off-base in terms of humanity relative to the human rights era.’”
Smith and Carlos’ “Black Power” salute is regarded as one of the most iconic moments in Black American history.
The rest of the USOC Hall of Fame class includes: Candace Cable, Erin Popovich, Chris Waddell (Paralympics), Lisa Leslie (basketball), Nastia Liukin (gymnastics), Misty May-Treanor (beach volleyball), Apolo Anton Ohno (short track speedskating), Dara Torres (swimming), the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team), Ron O’Brien (diving coach) and Tim Nugent (special contributor).
It will be the first class inducted since 2012.
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