by Leah Cox
There are a select few photos in history that deserve the title “iconic” or “history-defining.” Think The Kiss by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal, or Situation Room by Pete Souza. On that list, of course, is the photo in which American sprinters Dr. Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. That photo was taken by Life magazine photographer John Dominis.
After Dr. Tommie Smith spoke to the upper school at an assembly, I got the opportunity to conduct a one-on-one interview with him for the OnLion.
I was practicing my questions in the boardroom when Dr. Smith walked in. Instinctively, I stood up from the desk chair and held out my left hand. I looked at Dr. Smith (who was smiling) and said: “It’s absolutely an honor to meet you.”
He sat across the conference table from me, and while glancing at his wife, who was by his side, he said: “I may need help from my wife, but I’m ready for whatever questions you may have.”
Since he was the subject of such an iconic photo, I wondered what iconic photos resonate with him. “Well, a lot of different photos,” he said. ”I don’t know if the photos are iconic to everyone, but they are to me…Photos of my brothers and sisters who are no longer here. They meant and still mean a lot to me.” Dr. Smith explained to me that photos of people or events don’t mean as much today as they did in 1968. “They just don’t,” he said.
Many people have assumed that Dr. Smith’s actions at the 1968 Olympics were premeditated—the opposite is the truth. “I didn’t know Mexico City was gonna happen,” Dr. Smith told me. The events on October 16, 1968 were completely unplanned. Dr. Smith knew he was going to run. He knew he was going to do his absolute best on the track. But he didn’t know how his win and subsequent actions on the podium would affect society in the manner that it did. But finally, “there was somebody to tell the truth to the world in one stand.” The truth? The US and international community and society have yet to treat every individual as deserving of human rights.
I was interested to hear Dr. Smith reflect on his experience with white supremacy in 1968, after the photo was taken, and now. “The system is basically the same,” he said. “Racism is still here, and it’s gonna be here. That’s why the struggle continues.” ‘I’m free,’ as he stated, isn’t a phrase everyone can say in America. While we do live in a country with the declaration of freedom, freedom on paper (or in the Constitution) is vastly different from freedom in action.
If there was one question I really wanted to ask, it was this: How does it feel to finally be able to tell your story, after being silenced for so long? From his answer, it seems as though Dr. Smith prefers to reflect on the present rather than the past. “I try to tell it [my story] everywhere I go,” he said. “I have to be cognizant of the fact that sometimes I’m talking to different ages and minds.” When I asked some of my peers what they thought of Dr. Smith’s Community Time presentation, many of them agreed that he has a unique ability to relate to whomever he’s talking to. Personally, I felt comfortable interviewing Dr. Smith because his demeanor was fun and approachable. He continued, “You don’t have to agree with someone to listen to them.”
There’s a great risk inherent in taking a stand as Dr. Smith did in Mexico City in 1968. For many, the fear of being watched by millions of people would be enough cause to buckle under pressure. But not for Dr. Smith. His rationale for raising his fist in protest for human rights was actually quite simple: “You can’t stop the momentum. My mom and dad kept fighting for human rights and that’s why I’m standing here.” Progress is made through steady progress that doesn’t lose momentum. Lack of momentum has stifled progress in the past. I talked about the ebb and flow of social movement in my article “FreeBritney: What Dictates the Rise and Fall of Social Movements?”. As soon as a movement loses momentum, the oppressor wins.
But Dr. Smith believes too much in the future of America to lose his momentum. He may not be proud of the country’s past or present, but he is hopeful for the future and what our country can be. To this point, I asked him to define the national anthem. “It means [having] pride in the country,” he expressed. “What I did in Mexico City wasn’t me hating the American flag, it was me loving the country enough to want to see progress.” I told Dr. Smith that I’ve always had trouble saying the national anthem proudly, or at all. It’s not something I can say and fully believe. However, Dr. Smith’s explanation actually made me think. It’s possible to be frustrated with this country’s progress (or lack thereof) and still love it for what it can be.
In 2016, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick similarly echoed Tommie Smith’s protest in 1968. I asked him if he finds any differences between what Kaepernick did and what he did. Dr. Smith doesn’t find too many glaring differences between their actions. Although both instances occurred in two different periods of American society, they were related to the same premise of human rights. Kaepernick protested racism and police brutality, which does essentially fall under human rights. Mrs. Smith added to the conversation that the couple talks to Colin Kaepernick quite regularly.
In an era when politicians are pushing for legislation to censor “woke” curriculum and literature, I asked Dr. Smith, if he could, from his own knowledge, tell me what is the best way to try to educate people who don’t necessarily want to learn about topics related to racial inequality. His answer? “You let them talk. The best way to know a person is to let them talk.”
Dr. Smith said that when you try to educate people who truly don’t want to listen, it’s never a good idea to force them to listen. Instead, you should try to actively listen and understand where they are coming from. There’s power in having a conversation with someone. Rather than assuming, guilting, shaming, or blaming (all of which only create more resistance), it’s important to create an atmosphere where people can express their thoughts and feelings truthfully. It may be the only way we can progress together.
When our conversation came to a close, Mrs. Smith complimented me on my interview skills. Internally, I gave myself a fist bump. I then shyly asked to take a photo with Dr. Smith. And without any hesitation, he said, “Sure!”
