Sam Franks

Rhetorical Protest Essay

February 21, 2016

Human Rights Salute

In the early 1960’s, the fundamental prize sought by the civil rights movement was something that African Americans had never known: full legal and social equality. In the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s e-newsletter, it was cited that in America African Americans “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).

Many racial minorities, tired of being treated unlawfully and socially discriminated against, started to engage in protests, one of which was captured by photographer John Dominis during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. John Dominis’ famous published photograph, displaying African American Olympic medal winners Tommie Smith and John Carlos, each raising a black gloved fist in protest during the medal ceremony. This photograph is a strong representation of that protest for equal human rights for African Americans.

  At the time of the 1968 Olympics, John Dominis was an American photojournalist working for Life magazine. 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).  Smith and Carlos, both American runners, ascended the Olympic podium to accept their gold (Smith) and bronze (Carlos) medals (Civil Rights Movement). 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 racism in America. While Dominis’ photograph did not capture the “victorious ceremony for America” he expected, his lens enshrined for history a victorious symbol of protest more impactful to America than any Olympic medal.  

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”

“black power was important to me, but at the time of the Olympics I seized the opportunity to protest for more”(Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith).  On a CBS News Special: “Silent Gesture” Still Speaks Volumes, Smith described how the “hand (fist gesture) didn't represent so much black power as it did just power, social power, social equity. … And on the stand it was a prayer, a cry for freedom. It was very simple, but people made it so big because it was two black athletes on the victory stand and in an Olympic game, a sporting event. This was the big problem with America” (CBS News). John Dominis’ photograph, capturing this iconic moment in sports history, brought the competition of sport hurtling into the arena of social discourse. Millions of white Americans were outraged 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, 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 racial minorities. While the International Olympic Committee called the protest “a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit,” spectators of the event called it “a poignant and stirring move that helped to shape the equality movement” (BBC News). 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 the protest immortalized in John Dominis’ photograph, I recognized that the published photograph, and the gesture of protest that was captured within the photo, was powerful because it contained elements of all three forms of rhetorical strategy. 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 how African Americans were overrepresented in the ranks of poverty as opposed to white Americans. 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 racial equality can only be achieved by taking a stand against racism and demanding change. (Discoverthenetworks.org). Slavery in America ended in 1865, but one hundred years later in 1968, African Americans were still legally 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 supported by Jim Crow laws, and to varying degrees, socially accepted by the white majority at the time, was in fact immoral and unethical. This emotionally charged image was shocking to the rest of the world watching the Olympics, as it shed light on the moral issue and problem of racial inequality and discrimination of African Americans.

Although there was a strong component of ethos in the photograph, pathos was also a large leitmotif in this image of silent protest. In the top portion of the photograph, 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 standing 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. While this emotional appeal within the protest was very significant, the aspect of logos was also an essential strategy.

The raised fist, also known as a symbol of solidarity and support, had dated back to ancient times as a symbol of resistance in the face of violence. Alone, the fist means power, but when Smith and Carlos added the black glove to their fist in the photograph, it became a symbol of black power (BBC News). The same can be said for the black socks. While bare feet have been known to be a representation of poverty, wearing black socks over bare feet symbolizes black poverty and the income inequality in America. With these powerful protest symbols of the glove and socks, we are logically able to make the connection to black power and black identity.

The 1968 Mexico City Olympics was one that will be remembered as important in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, with the support of Peter Norman, decided to stand together in solidarity and take pride in being African Americans. The emotional image made America and the world consider the ethical, logical, and moral issues behind racism and inequality 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 courageous acts of protest like the one captured in John Dominis’ timely photograph, all racial minorities in America are closer to standing on the top of the podium receiving the medal of racial equality.

Works Cited

"BBC ON THIS DAY | 17 | 1968: Black Athletes Make Silent Protest." BBC News. BBC, 17 Oct. 1968. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"Civil Rights Movement." - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

Cosgrove, Ben. "The Black Power Salute That Rocked the 1968 Olympics." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"John Dominis: Celebrating the Work of a Master Photographer." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"Repertuar Kin." Fists of Freedom: The Story of the '68 Summer Games (1999). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

""Silent Gesture" Still Speaks Volumes." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

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.