John Wesley Carlos was born in Harlem, New York on June 5, 1945(Provence 1).At the age of twelve, Carlos had decided that we was going to be an Olympic swimmer. Unfortunately, he was told by his own father that it would never happen because of the color of his skin. Soon after, Carlos decided on Golden Gloves Boxing instead, but was told to quit because his mother was tired of seeing him covered in bruises. Carlos was determined to make it to the Olympics and decided that running was the way to go. From running in the poor streets of Harlem to running at the University of East Texas State, his dream was coming to life when he competed at the 1968 Olympic Games with his good friend and teammate, Tommie Smith. Carlos’ dream was coming to life when he had his chance to stand on the Olympic podium to accept his award with a large crowd cheering and watching. When Carlos’ protesting began at Zucotti Park, in New York, following the Olympic Games, Carlos had stated that, “If I don’t stand and fight for change then I’m a part of the tyranny that’s taking place. I refuse to succumb to become a second class citizen…You can’t whitewash what God has planned for me in my life” (Kohls 1). When Carlos said this he had imbedded the meaning that he will just not stand around and do nothing while people are being persecuted based on their race. Despite the effects of the 1968 black power salute. John Carlos is seen as a symbol for civil rights due to his bravery when he Stood on the podium with no shoes on, with tall black socks, with gloves on his hands and beads around his neck, and for helping found the Olympic Project for Human Rights.
Ever since Carlos was introduced to racism while attending the University of East Texas he had decided that ...
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...e man that had put the world on his back and brought freedom back to life. As Carlos had once stated, “If I don’t stand and fight for change then I’m a part of the tyranny that’s taking place. I refuse to succumb to become a second class citizen…You can’t whitewash what God has planned for me in my life” (Kohls 1).
Works Cited
Carlos, John. We are not asking for change, we demand Change. Democracy Now 2011. Web 4
Gettings, John. Civil Disobedience. Pearson Education. WEB .2012 30 January 2014
Johnson, Brett. John Carlos on His Fist Raising Protest. The Root. WEB. 30, July.2012
Provence, Lisa. John Carlos: The silence heard round world. Better Publications LLC. 21,
February, 2014
Vaughn, Shamontiel. ‘The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World’.
A&E. 30, September.2011
Zirin, David. Biography. Johncarlos68. 2010-2010
...o far ahead that people don’t realize what you’re doing until years later.” (page 46, Carlos) Now 45 years later, have people finally realized what John Carlos and Tommie Smith were doing October 16? Neither Carlos nor Smith regrets their decision to this day. Despite the challenges and obstacles they faced, Carlos believed what they did was far more important than their lives and could live with the history he created. In contrast to their iconic peers, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X to name a few, Carlos and Smith stood in unison in their demonstration. The significance of the fist-raised is a power beckon of strength for everyone to take with them in any given situation. The entire world has broadcasted their rebellious image and has interpreted their own meanings about the most historic moment in sports and the broader community.
Malcome X once said “Clay is the finest Negro athlete I have ever know, the man who will mean more to his people than any athlete before him. He is more than Jackie Robinson was, because Robinson is the white man’s hero.” While Jackie Robinson and Cassius Clay were seen as two different, opposing sides of the Civil Rights Movement, they each used their spotlight and fame as athletes in the public eye to make their political stance during this time. Malcolm X makes a bold statement with his ideas, but Jackie Robinson made just as much if not more of a political statement that impacted America during this time even more than Muhammad Ali. Branch Rickey’s great experiment, Jackie Robinson
The nineteenth century introduced several great leaders into this world, many recognized by historians today. These men, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and others, have all been honored and commemorated for their contributions. One such leader, José Martí, continues to remain anonymous outside the Hispanic community, and hidden in the shadows cast by these men. His name does not appear in the history books or on the tongues of many proud Americans, for he was neither a citizen of America nor an American hero.
Imagine quitting your job to start something that can help the future of the world in diffrent way. Picture getting arrested for trying to help the make the world better in the future. Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales is somebody that is extremely hopeful in the future.
Jesse Owens was the best track athlete at the 1936 Olympics due to his four gold medals in the 400 meter relay , the 100 meter dash , the 200 meter dash and the running board jump or the long jump. Now not only did he run but he showed that he was also versitlie and could jump. He also won a gold by the help of three others to win the 400 meter relays. Now a short summary of his life will be discussed. One of the greatest track-and-field athletes of all time. He was born James Cleveland Owens in Danville, Alabama, and educated at Ohio State University. However he competed in interscholastic track meets while attending high school, excelling in the running broad jump, the 100-yd dash, and the 220-yd dash. As a member of the Ohio State University track squad in 1935, he established a world record of 26 ft 83 in. For the running broad jump; the next year he set a new world record of 10.2 sec for the 100-m dash. A member of the U. S. track team in the 1936 Olympic Games , in Berlin , Owens won four gold medals. He won the 100-m dash in 10.3 sec , equaling the Olympic record; set a new Olympic and world record of 20.7 sec in the 200-m dash ; and won the running broad jump with a leap of 26 ft 5I in. , setting a new Olympic record. He was also a member of the U.S. 400-m relay team that year , which set a new Olympic and world record of 39.8 sec. Despite Owens's outstanding athletic performance , German leader Adolf Hitler refused to acknowledge his Olympic victories because Owens 2 was black. Owens went on to play an active role in youth athletic programs and later established his own public relations firm. Jesse proved you could make it if you only put forth some effort. Jesse became a lifetime role model just from one summer olympic games. Owens just demonstrated what every young black kid in America wanted to become when the arose to his type of greatness. Jesses' to becoming the best at this olympic games was a pretty tough road. He was pushed back because of the color of his skin , now there was no way in hell the he used this as any type of an excuse when he didn't come in first.
racist environment within both the classroom and the fields that Chavez grew up in. The
...hrough immense poverty, segregation, and was undervalued by his peers. Jesse Owens was ridiculed by many in the Nazi party during the 1936 Olympics but he ignored their hateful looks and instead saw himself as an athlete and not an icon of the inferiority of his race and he was able to prove them wrong with outstanding track and field accomplishments. He is an inspirational symbol for the injustice of racial profiling and is a role model to athletes everywhere.
Lope de Aguirre, better known as the Prince of Freedom, was a Spanish soldier who partook in not only the Spanish conquest and exploration of South America, but later on led the rebellion against Spanish rule in parts of the continent. Aguirre is not only known for his extreme acts of brutality against Spanish leaders, but for being one of the first to claim himself as an American. He played a key role in the fight for independence against the Spanish monarchy. His great acts of violence against Spanish leaders placed him in control of the Island of Margarita (Venezuela), Panama, Chile, and Peru. His betrayal to the Spanish crown was frowned upon and he was soon thought of as a symbol of cruelty and treachery in Colonial Spanish America. Lope de Aguirre payed the ultimate price for his acts of cruelty and violence and was captured and killed by the Spaniards in 1561.
The Olympics take place every two years and allow athletes from all over the world to compete against other Olympians. These individuals are given the world’s stage as large television and radio stations broadcast the games all over the globe and are allowed the opportunity to demonstrate their world-class skill as they compete against others with good sportsmanship and respect. Jimmy Carter’s boycott took away the once in a lifetime opportunity for many athletes to preform at the highest level of competition. Renaldo Nehemiah is one example of an athlete whose opportunity to compete in the Olympics was stolen by the boycott. Before the 1980 Olympics, Nehemiah was expected to win the gold medal in the hurdles. Nehemiah states, "Nothing was accomplished by our boycott in 1980." He said, "It was very disheartening, using sport as a way to achieve political ends. . . . It was difficult for me personally. I was 21 years old and the best in the world, but I 've never walked into an Olympic stadium as an athlete, and that 's still hard. It took a lot of years before I could even talk about it." The strong reactions of the athletes to Jimmy Carter’s decision to boycott the games shows that he didn’t have the support of the people who were the most important to the games, the athletes.
Politics is the heart of America. To enact change in a major area of the nation, the politics must be discussed to no end and one must know how to speak the words of the...
... Richard. "Cesar Estrada Chavez."The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Vol 3: 1991-1993. Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001. Reproduced in History Resource Center. San Antonio College Lib., San Antonio, TX. 7 July 2014
...a man who thought he was doing the right thing and saving the people from an unjust government; meanwhile, failing to look ahead and see the possible consequences of his monumental decision.
Today, with the dominance of black players in professional sports, it seems unfathomable that a mere 50 years ago, not only were black athletes absent in all mainstream sporting arenas, it was simply not an option and even illegal in some states. His legacy is the inspiration he gives to athletes and people of all color. Robinson is heroic, in part, because of the excellence of his athletic achievement and equally important, for his political commitment to racial equality.
From Obama’s speeches I have been influenced to believe in changes, so I decided to improve in certain ways:
Muhammad Ali is an example of an athlete who voiced his political ideologies in sports to advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and protest the War. As an Olympic gold medalist, heavy weight titlist, and many other victories, he used the fame to project his humanitarian efforts. Ali refused to serve in Vietnam due to his religion and as a result, he was stripped of his 1967 title . He retired in 1981 with an incredible 59 wins and five losses, but he will always known as symbol of courage, will power and strength, not for his career milestones, but for breaking racia...