Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. More about this book >
Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile at the 2022 National Book Awards Finalist Reading
Dr. Tommie Smith was born in Texas in 1944 and moved to California at the age of seven. An outstanding high school athlete and member of the San Jose State College “Speed City” track team, he held 11 world records simultaneously, and at the 1968 Mexico Olympics became the first man to officially run the 200 meters in under 20 seconds, winning the gold medal. His protest on the medal podium led to his removal from the games and exclusion from national and world athletic competition. Later a teacher and coach at Oberlin College and Santa Monica College, Dr. Smith has received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, the Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey Foundation, and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019.
(Photo credit: Jon W. Johnson)
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