Fish Out of Water

Vanessa Diaz
Mass Com T/TR 12:00
Journal 5
Vanessad86@yahoo.com
Word count: 330

On October 16th I attended the John Carlos and Tommie Smith event in front Clark Hall where their statues stand tall. When I arrived there was a speaker already on the podium talking about how Carlos and Smith still have a big impact and their importance in the African-American community.

John Carlos and Tommie Smith raced at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City where one won the gold medal and the other the bronze. A statue of them resides at San Jose State University because that’s where they attended school.

Looking at the statue it’s noticeable that they are doing certain things that portray meaning. John Carlos wore beads that stood for lynching where Tommie Smith held an olive branch which stood for peace. By not wearing their shoes they symbolized poverty in black America. Also, Carlos has his left fist up which stands for unity and Smith has his right fist up which stands for power and their bowed heads symbolize fallen warriors.

While walking around listening to the speaker the majority who arrived were African-Americans. Going to this event I didn’t feel like an outsider at all since I’ve grown up with many different races. It’s been awhile since I attended an event where there were actually many people. I don’t know why there weren’t more races there. The event wasn’t only intended for African-Americans, but maybe this historical event has more meaning to them than another racial group. Attending this event was meant for different racial groups to come together and talk about how anything is possible. Tommie Smith and John Carlos are an inspiration to everyone. They stood up for what they believed. They made sure that at least two black people were appointed to the U.S Olympic committee. Ironically they were the two people who took two of the spots on the podium. People doubted them but they fought to prove them wrong.