Question
Why do you think Tommie Smith and John Carlos chose this form of protest in the Mexico Olympics? What was its effect on the Civil Rights Movement in the US?
Solution
They received their medals wearing black socks and no shoes to represent Black poverty. With this gesture, they tried to draw international attention to racial discrimination. The black glowed and raised clenched fists were meant to symbolise BLACK-POWER.
Their action succeeded in gaining international attention for the Civil Rights Movement in the US. Recently, the San Jose (pronounced 'Saan Hoze') state university, of which they were former students, honoured them and installed their statue in the university campus.