On October 17th (Monday) 1968 Olympic gold and bronze medal winners and San Jose State University (SJSU) student activists Tommie Smith and John Carlos will be honored with the unveiling of a 20-foot sculpture, located in the Sculpture Garden.
Designed by artist, Rigo 23, the sculpture depicts the pivotal moment in history when Smith and Carlos took a stand for human rights on the victory podium at the Olympics, a silent protest that was seen around the world.
Australian Peter Norman, the silver medalist who was with Smith and Carlos on the victory podium and supported their stand, will be at SJSU for the day-long celebration.
Smith and Carlos became one of the symbols of the civil rights movement of the 1960s when, after winning the gold and bronze medals for the 200-meter race in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, they put their fists in the air as a gesture of protest against the racist treatment of African Americans in the United States. For doing this, they were stripped of their medals.
SJSU President Don Kassing noted recently, "(Smith and Carlos) put everything at risk. Their medals were taken away from them. They were pushed out of the Olympic Village. They came back to San Jose and were treated terribly."
An entire day of activities is planned to honor these men and to commemorate student activism. Beginning at 10:30 a.m. to noon, in the Student Union, Smith, Carlos, Norman and gold medalist Lee Evans will join a panel discussion to talk about their roles in the historic 1968 Olympics. From 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the same location, a second panel discussion on Student Activism in the 60s will feature the above athletes and special guests. At 5 p.m., the special ceremony to unveil the sculpture will begin in the Sculpture Garden.
In addition to the above activities, the documentary, "Fists of Freedom," that portrays this courageous moment in civil rights history will be shown in the Mosaic Cross Cultural Center in the Student Union throughout the morning at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and noon.
The sculpture is the result of nearly three years of work by Associated Students to design and raise funds for the Tommie Smith/John Carlos Project. "The Tommie Smith – John Carlos Project teaches students that they can become active today and should not wait until they reach a certain age to address the issues that are important to them. The Project is more than the erection of a monument; it is the recognition of the sacrifices made by many students during the torrid civil rights era."
The initial fund raising effort supported the design and construction of the sculpture. The remaining funds will support the ongoing Project initiatives that include developing and delivering social awareness education for students; supporting student activists’ initiatives; and supporting those students who choose to get involved in the issues they believe in.
Earlier this year, the California State University and San Jose State University presented honorary doctorates to Smith and Carlos at the university's 148th commencement ceremony. At that event Smith said, "A lot of people have died for the freedom I was able to express in the 1960s." Sources: Associated Students San Jose State University, Spartan Daily (San Jose State University), Ascribe, San Jose State University
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