Smith, Tommie

unknown · Contribution: 1968

Sprinter and activist

Won gold in the 200m at the 1968 Olympics; staged a silent raised-fist protest against racial injustice on the medal stand

Sports & Athletics — collage image
Sports & Athletics

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.

Quick facts

Born
1944, Clarksville, Texas
Active since
1968
Category
Sports & Athletics
Best known for
The 1968 Olympic raised-fist protest

Impact on the world

Smith turned his moment of Olympic triumph into a global statement on human rights, accepting enormous personal cost to force the world to confront American racial injustice.

Sources

  1. BlackPast.org

1 more sources and references are available to members.