Tommie Smith Says We All Have A Responsibility 50 Years After Olympic Protest

Tommie Smith was honored last week at a benefit concert in Brooklyn for criminal justice reform 50 years after he and fellow U.S. athlete John Carlos focused international attention on racism with a protest during a ceremony at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

Smith and Carlos, gold and bronze medalists respectively in the 200-meter sprint, powerfully bowed their heads and raised their fists after receiving their awards and as the U.S. national anthem played.

There is power in protest. Today is the 50th anniversary of the salute heard around the world. Honored to join @TIDALs justice reform efforts at #TIDALXBrooklyn where we salute hero #TommieSmith. 10/23 Concert for a cause: https://t.co/66wmfqprj7 pic.twitter.com/3s2CFYpbQg

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There is power in protest. Today is the 50th anniversary of the salute heard around the world. Honored to join @TIDAL s justice reform efforts at #TIDALXBrooklyn where we salute hero #TommieSmith . 10/23 Concert for a cause: https://t.co/66wmfqprj7 pic.twitter.com/3s2CFYpbQg
Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 16, 2018

The Olympians both raised one single black-gloved fist to protest oppression and racism as they had their moment on the world stage on Oct. 16, 1968. They also stood shoeless on the podium, to represent a fight against poverty .

Smith and Carlos raised fists have continued to serve as an iconic symbol for the fight for equality and human rights.

As soon as we raised our hands , its like somebody hit a switch, Carlos wrote in an article for Vox in 2016. The mood in the stadium went straight to venom.

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay introduced Smith at the fourth annual benefit concert on Tuesday put on by Tidal, a music streaming service and sponsored by several other organizations.

Upon returning home, (Smith and Carlos) were called traitors and much, much worse by most of America, Duvernay said. They and their families lived under the threat of daily violence or death; rather than returning home as conquering heroes, they became social pariah.

She added, Its difficult to estimate how many minds were changed that day they raised their fists in protests, or the days, the months, the weeks, the years, the five decades that have followed.

DuVernay also took note of Australian Peter Norman, the silver medalist in the sprint who stood alongside Smith and Carlos on the podium wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights button in solidarity of their protest. Norman died in 2006 .

Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers NFL quarterback who two years ago instigated protests at NFL games by players, earlier this month paid tribute to Carlos and Smith on Twitter.

Thank you Tommie Smith&John Carlos 4 the sacrifices you made on this day 50 yrs ago.They have laid the foundation 4 the advancement of many others at their own personal expense,& have done it gracefully&unapologetically!We will never be able 2 repay you 4 what you have done 4 us! pic.twitter.com/2V4gEKV26o

Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) October 17, 2018","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Colin Kaepernick","author_url":"https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7","cache_age":86400,"description":"Thank you Tommie Smith&John Carlos 4 the sacrifices you made on this day 50 yrs ago.They have laid the foundation 4 the advancement of many others at their own personal expense,& have done it gracefully&unapologetically!We will never be able 2 repay you 4 what you have done 4 us! pic.twitter.com/2V4gEKV26o Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) October 17, 2018\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Colin Kaepernick on 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Thank you Tommie Smith&John Carlos 4 the sacrifices you made on this day 50 yrs ago.They have laid the foundation 4 the advancement of many others at their own personal expense,& have done it gracefully&unapologetically!We will never be able 2 repay you 4 what you have done 4 us! pic.twitter.com/2V4gEKV26o
Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) October 17, 2018

They have laid the foundation [for] the advancement of many others at their own personal expense, he wrote.

Kaepernick, who completed his $1 million dollar pledge to underserved communities early this year, powerfully sat and later kneeled during the national anthem at football games to protest police brutality and racial injustices. Players on his own team and several others have periodically continued those protests.

The benefit concert, Tidal X: Brooklyn , included performances by Lauryn Hill, Lil Wayne, Nick Jonas, Meek Mill, Black Thought, Teyana Taylor and Anderson .Paak.

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All of the shows net ticket proceeds, as well as donations, will support criminal justice reform non-profit organizations, including #Cut50, Equal Justice Initiative and the Innocence Project, according to event organizers.

A short video featuring Smith, Carlos and Norman at the 1968 medal ceremony played before DuVernay introduced Smith at the show. He walked on stage with his fist raised in the air.

Equality... we cannot do without it, he told the crowd. We all have a responsibility to work toward that goal.