Olympians who
took a political stand in �68
and shook the world to be honored by alma mater
By Dennis Freeman
OW Staff Writer
�She just
couldn�t deal with it anymore,� said Carlos. �She couldn�t
take the strife anymore. We had a helluva 10 years, man. We
had a tremendous 10 years, in terms of pain and suffering,
because I was the one that was more vocal, so therefore they
put more attention on me, as far as inflicting pain, than
anyone else. I thought that I would go to pieces.�
His children were constantly harassed and vilified, he said.
Carlos said he even had to deal with teachers taunting his
kids at school. He also had difficulty securing steady
employment. Carlos said just about everything he worked hard
for seemed to evaporate quickly after that historic moment
in �68.
When some of his friends walked out on him, Carlos said the
only way he was able to make it through was relying on his
faith in God and his family.
�It�s one thing to go to bed at night, secure in knowing
that you can feed your family, but it�s another thing when
you wake up the next day and find out all of that is gone,�
said Carlos. �Then to have individuals, who you thought were
your friends, turn and walk away from you�all that�s part of
the vilification. A tremendous amount of people just walked
away. That was probably one of the most devastating things
that I had to deal with.
�It�s a very painful thing. You figure that you already
didn�t have a whole bunch of people, and then those that you
did hold dear, when they walk away, it�s a crushing defeat.
Thank God I had my spirituality, my spiritual beliefs, and
thank God I had my family.�
Nearly 40 years after their transcending moment, through
their trials and tribulations, Smith and Carlos still stand
tall. They both have weathered time and society as legendary
icons of the civil rights movement. They are both heroes and
pioneers. Two men, two gloves, two fists, a single mission
and an earth-shattering display of political defiance.
�We�ll be joined from the hip to eternity,� said Carlos. �We
needed to make a statement. I told him, �Man, I�m going to
make a statement.� He said, �I�m with you.�
to page 1
click here for other articles
