Colin McCormick

Dr. Steph Brown

ENGL 306

15 September 2016

Rhetoric of Protest

            Throughout history people have used the symbol of a raised fist to represent a multitude of beliefs such as solidarity, strength, unity, defiance, and resistance. However this iconic symbol is most likely best known for representing African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement. One of the most well-known and historically famous examples of this act of protest was during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. During the podium ceremonies in which African American Tommie Smith took gold, Peter Norman of Australia took silver and African American John Carlos took bronze, Smith and Carlos both raised their black gloved fists during the playing of the U.S. national anthem as Norman stood by with a button that said “Olympic Project for Human Rights”.

            During this act of defiance both Smith and Carlos were attempting to show the world and bring to light the discrimination and inequality in the United States at the time of the historical Civil Rights Movement. The two athletes “wore gloves to represent black America, and removed their shoes and wore black socks to symbolize the poverty of the African black community” (Simon Burnton, Paragraph 6). By acting out in such a manner on global television, the two athletes were able to reach millions of people with their message of black power in America. This act was met with severe criticism from the white community, and viewed as un-patriotic, the two athletes were kicked off of the United States. track and field team, as well as sent home and banned from the Olympics (Cosgrove Paragraph 3). The shaming of these two individuals continued in the United States among the white community, however the African American community greeted them as heroes who sacrificed their glory on national television for the greater cause of civil equality. 

            A protest with such magnitude occurred during a key point in the timeline of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had just been assassinated and the fight for civil liberties in the United States was raging on yet making headway with President Johnsons signing of the Civil Rights act of 1968. During a time when full equality seemed so close, Smith and Carlos decided to act and utilize the world stage that was the Olympics. It was because of this context that the symbol of protest used resounded so loudly and made such a big splash in the fight for equality. Such a bold statement was heard by multiple groups within the African American community because it was a symbol that represented black power, and unity. Therefore this symbol was able to have an effect on both the peaceful followers of MLK as well as the more extreme groups such as the Black Panther and followers of Malcolm X as a cry to come together as one group of people to overcome the civil injustices occurring.

            Both athletes might have thought that the act which they displayed would bring criticism to their lives, however neither runner could have predicted just how big of an impact this event would make. Both men just hoped that such a bold act would spark unity, solidarity, and strength within the black communities as well as shed light on the inequalities occurring for the world to see. To wield such a strong symbol while wearing and representing the United States during these times was essentially Smiths’ and Carlos’ way of showing that in order for change to occur, there could be no fear or hesitation because of what might happen and that they themselves were willing to stand in front of the world to achieve change. Their message of unity and strength also paid homage to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. due to their protest being non-violent. Which can be seen as another message they were sending home, to continue the non-violent protests which one of their most iconic civil rights leaders fought so hard to maintain. Their use of the different articles such as ‘the fist’, black socks, and black gloves, were meant as symbols to show the world what exactly they were protesting for.

The ‘fist’ that both athletes held up had been used for many different groups in different times, however during the Civil Rights Movement the ‘fist’ stood for a collective and united black community as well as a symbol for ‘black power’ under more extreme social reform groups such as the Black Panthers. African Americans everywhere during this time brandished the ‘fist’ and used it during their protests against the inequalities they were facing. Therefore when Smith and Carlos raised their fists, they were attempting to evoke an emotional response not only from the black community but from the world. By utilizing the setting of the Olympics they were able to reach millions of viewers and send their message in a way that sparked controversy, and also showed the true nature of their protest. The use of their symbolic elements affected all who viewed the ceremony and was a direct use of pathos to attempt and make the viewers in support of the Civil Rights Movement feel united, confident, and strong.

Although immediately after, both men were ‘shamed’ by certain communities upholding their bigoted beliefs, the two men were able to speak out against the injustices occurring during this time. The famous photo showing the two men with raised fists was and is historically famous as an act of protest and still talked about and viewed to this day. It has also continued to be used by prominent figures around the world, however it has been most notably used by people and groups such as, the Black Lives Matter movement, and most recently political figure Bernie Sanders was seen brandishing the fist at an election night campaign event in Huntington West Virginia in April of 2016 (Chadbourn). Although the meanings may have been slightly altered to fit the context of the situation, the iconic image of the ‘fist’ resonates as a symbol for solidarity, strength, and defiance no matter what the cause. Due to the widespread use of this symbol even currently, both men were successful in creating a protest and image which has had a lasting effect on the outcome of U.S. history.

Works Cited

Burnton, Simon. “50 Stunning Olympic Moments No13: Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Salute.” Theguardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 8 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2016. < https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/feb/08/olympic-moments-tommie-smith-john-carlos>.

Chadbourn, Margaret. “A Look at the History of the Clenched Fist.” ABC News. ABC News

Network, 11 May 2016. Web. 15 Sept. 2016. < http://abcnews.go.com/News/history-clenched-fist/story?id=39006994>

“Civil Rights Chronology.” The Leadership Conference. The Leadership Conference on Civil

and Human Rights, 2001. Web. 15 Sept. 2016. http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civi
lrights101/chronology.html.

Cosgrove, Ben.  “The Black Power Salute That Rocked the 1968 Olympics. Time. Time, 27 Sept.

2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2016. < http://time.com/3880999/black-power-salute-tommie-smith-and-john-carlos-at-the-1968-olympics/>