Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KHSR 91.9 FM is experiencing technical difficulties at the broadcast tower. Our engineering team is assessing the situation. Livestreams are unaffected. Thank you for your patience.

A Raised Arm and a Clenched Fist at the 1968 Olympics

John Carlos and Tommie Smith both won medals in the same track event at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City. On the medal stand, both raised clenched fists in a salute to Black power. The backlash that followed cost them the rest of their running careers and years of difficulty outside of sports. Fifty years later, the prevailing attitude toward their protest has changed, and the movement lives on with other athlete activists like Colin Kaepernick.

Guest: Rachael Myrow, KQED Silicon Valley arts reporter

Copyright 2018 KQED