Black History Fact: The 1st Protest By An Athlete

     There is so much talk going on  right now about the football player, Colin Kaepernick; so much debate as to whether or not he has the right to do what he is doing in protest of the racial inequality in this so-called 'United' States  today. Even his own mother  (adoptive) spoke out publicly  against him!  

     As I'm  sure a lot of you remember,  this isn't  the first case of a pro athlete protesting the treatment of minorities  in America in such a public forum. For those who don't remember:

Black History Fact  from 1968

Athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith made history — and headlines — when they raised their black-gloved fists on the awards stand at the 1968 Olympics. Both also wore black socks and no shoes on the podium, representing black poverty in America.
You can read the complete story from Smithsonian Magazine here.  There was a lot more to it than what we've been remembering from this photo:

For example, the third person in the photo, who was on the podium with Carlos and Smith, wore a badge pinned to his jacket in support of the organization Carlos and Smith had gotten their idea from.

Carlos and Smith were both stripped of their medals and suspended from the rest of the Olympics.