It was the summer of 1968 at the 19th Olympic Games in Mexico City and Tommie Smith, a young man from Clarksville, Texas, had just shattered the world record in the 200 meters. Afterwards, as Smith received his gold medal, he literally took a stand for social justice by raising a black, leather gloved-fist to the sky as a symbolic gesture to represent the struggle for human rights. Smith’s iconic stance continued long after the games and he dedicated his life, sometimes at great personal risk, to champion the cause of oppressed people everywhere.
