Sam Franks

Rhetorical Protest Essay

February 21, 2016

Human Rights Salute

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends”

                        - Martin Luther King Jr.

In the early 1960’s, the fundamental prize sought by the civil rights movement was something that African Americans had never known: full legal equality. In the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s e-newsletter, it was cited that in America blacks “were denied the right to vote, barred from public facilities, subjected to insults and violence, discriminated in housing, employment, and education, and not expected to receive justice from the courts” (Civil Rights Movement, Page 1).

Many colored minorities, tired of being treated unlawfully, started to form protests, one of which was captured by photographer John Dominis during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. John Dominis’ famous published photograph, displaying two African American medal winners raising a black gloved fist in protest during the medal ceremony, is a strong representation of equal human rights for African Americans.

 At the time of the 1968 Olympics, John Dominis was an American photojournalist working for Life magazine as a photographer. The New York Times affirmed, “Dominis was one of the few photographers who happened to be in the media pen watching what was expected to be a normal and victorious ceremony for America” (Paul Vitello, Page 1).  Tommie Smith and John Carlos, both American runners, ascended the Olympic podium to accept their gold (smith) and bronze (Carlos) medals (Civil Rights Movement, page 2). After the athletes received their medals, and the National Anthem: “The Star Spangled Banner” began to play, Dominis, looking through his camera lens, observed that Smith and Carlos, bowing their heads, each raised a black-gloved fist in a salute to protest America’s racism.

In Tommie Smith’s autobiography, Silent Gesture, Smith identified that the purpose of the gesture was not a “black power” salute, but a “human rights salute” (Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith). John Dominis’ photograph, capturing this iconic moment in sports history, outraged millions of fellow Americans when it was published on the front pages of Life and TIME Magazine a few days later (Paul Vitello, Page 1). And while there was a sizeable amount of backlash from individuals, countless millions more in America and around the globe were thrilled by the sight of two men standing before the world, unafraid, expressing their disillusionment with a nation that so often fell short of its promises to minorities.  Years later, in an HBO documentary Fists of Freedom: The Story of the ’68 Summer Games, Smith said, “we were just human beings who saw a need to bring attention to inequality in our country. We were trying to tell African Americans to join together and stand up against racism” (George Roy, 1999). This specific protest during the games appeals to the African American audience and the black pride identity during a tumultuous time in history when African American human rights were being denied.

When I had first begun probing the meanings behind John Dominis’ photograph, I recognized that the published work appealed to two manners of persuasion: ethos and pathos. In the photograph you can see that Smith and Carlos received their medals shoeless, but were wearing black socks. This was an ethos rhetorical strategy aimed at representing black poverty and the unequal income gap between blacks and whites in America. Discover The Networks estimated “the overall black poverty rate in the 1960’s was three and a half times higher than the white poverty rate” The black socks were also considered a representation of black identity and how human rights and fairness can be achieved by fighting against racism. (Discoverthenetworks.org). Slavery ended in 1865, but African Americans were still being treated like second-class citizens. “They were discriminated from public services, and schools that were “colored” were given poor funding. Blacks were not permitted to use white restaurants, and while city money was spent making white facilities better, the “colored” ones were allowed to fall to shambles. It was separate and unequal” (Discoverthenetworks.org). This inequality, although socially acceptable at the time, was in fact immoral and unethical. This abysmal image was shocking to the rest of the world watching the Olympics, as it shed light on the moral issue and problem of black maltreatment in America.

Although there was a strong component of ethos in the photo, pathos was also a large leitmotif in the published image. In the top portion of the photo, you notice Smith and Carlos each with a single black-gloved fist raised above their head, which was intended to signify African American pride and the black power identity. By standing together side by side, holding a fist in the air, they sent a message to all African Americans that protesting together and fighting for equal rights is a noble and worthwhile cause. Taking his own stand against American racism was Peter Norman, the silver medalist on the podium with Smith and Carlos. Ben Cosgrove, a journalist from TIME Magazine, wrote “Australian silver medalist Peter Norman stood solidly with Smith and Carlos, both literally and figuratively—displaying his solidarity with their action by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge during the medal ceremony” (Cosgrove, Page 1). Peter Norman confirmed in a later interview that when Smith and Carlos asked him to help, he simply stated, “I’ll stand with you” (Cosgrove, Page 2). The picture of all three athletes standing in unity with one another in a show of support for African American rights and equality was an image that evoked much emotion from viewers of John Dominis’ photograph.

The 1968 Mexico City Olympics was one that will be remembered as a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, with the support of Peter Norman, decided to stand together in unanimity and protest racial inequality while also taking pride in being African Americans. The emotional image made America and the world consider the ethical issues behind the treatment of "colored people" in society. The identity of “black power” spoke to many African Americans during the 1960’s era and ultimately led to a more positive societal and cultural change within the USA. We still have a long way to go in terms of erasing racism for good, but thanks to John Dominis’ timely photograph, we are one step closer.

 Works Cited

"Civil Rights Movement." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Civil-Rights-Movement.aspx>.

Cosgrove, Ben. "The Black Power Salute That Rocked the 1968 Olympics." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://time.com/3880999/black-power-salute-tommie-smith-and-john-carlos-at-the-1968-olympics/>.

"John Dominis: Celebrating the Work of a Master Photographer." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://time.com/3524708/photographer-spotlight-john-dominis/>.

"Repertuar Kin." Fists of Freedom: The Story of the '68 Summer Games (1999). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.filmweb.pl/film/Fists+of+Freedom%3A+The+Story+of+the+%2768+Summer+Games-1999-148264/showtimes/Warszawa>.

Smith, Tommie, and David Steele. Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2008. Print.

Vitello, Paul. "John Dominis, a Star Photographer for Life Magazine, Dies at 92." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/01/arts/design/john-dominis-a-star-life-magazine-photographer-dies.html?_r=0>.