Australia and the

1968 Olympics The Games

Peter Norman and the protest

On the night before the finals had been introduced to the famous Jessie Owens, multiple gold medal winner and symbol of black American athletes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This inspired him and reminded him of the struggle for human rights of black American athletes in the past.

Events like the medal ceremony protest can be seen and described differently at the time and over time. Use the following sources and your own research to consider ‐ What actually happened?

Read Norman’s recollection of the lead up to the medal ceremony in the extract The American Protest and Peter Norman, Harry Gordon p 38‐39.

Read What preceded the protest? from Damian Johnstone and Matt Norman book A Race to Remember –The Peter Norman Story

The OPHR badge, similar to the one Peter Norman wore on the medal podium

Read Peter Norman’s profile: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/athlete/peter‐norman

Looking back

Significant events can be viewed differently over time. This is the nature of history, peoples’ recollections and opinion. The following sources raise this issue in relation to Peter Norman and the Olympic civil rights protest after his silver medal performance.

He didn’t raise his fist but he did lend a hand, SMH (3/10/2006) http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/10/03/1159641325056.html

Tell the kids about Peter Norman, 9.10.2006 http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/tell‐your‐kids‐about‐peter‐ norman/2006/10/09/1160246071527.html

Looking back the day before Peter Norman’s Funeral: The Sunday Times, October 2006 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article664806.ece

The legacy: http://as.sjsu.edu/legacy/Smith‐Carlos.pdf

Australia and the Olympic Games

1968 Mexico Olympics The Games

40 Years after: The Independent, UK http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/1968‐olympics‐the‐divided‐legacy‐of‐black‐ power‐863932.html

Salute ‐ the Movie, official site page http://www.salutethemovie.com/

ABC TV, Salute, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc2/201101/programs/ZX1423A001D2011‐01‐ 26T213222.htm?program=Salute

Histories and biographies The following books are relevant because they are based on a range of sources and personal recollections and present the opinions and viewpoints of 1968:

Damian Johnstone and Matt Norman, A Race to Remember –The Peter Norman Story, JoJo Publishing, Docklands ,2008. Amy Bass, Not the Triumph But the Struggle: 1968 Olympics and the Making of the Black Athlete, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002. and David Steele, Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith. Temple University Press, 2007. Richard Hoffer, Something in the Air: The Story of American Passion and Defiance in the 1968 Olympics, Simon and Schuster, 2009. Mark Kurlansky, 1968 ‐The Year that Rocked the World, Random House Publishing Group, 2005.

Extension

Debate: Should prominent athletes should promote political and social issues?

Suggestion: Adapt the following online lesson on sports and politics: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/03_2010/lp4.php Australia and the Olympic Games

1968 Mexico Olympics The Games

The American Protest and Peter Norman

Focus: • Peter Norman’s role in the protest

Two black Americans, Tommie Smith and , used their presence on the victory rostrum after the final to make a political gesture. With clenched, black—gloved fists, they raised their arms in black‐power salutes as the American flag was raised and “The Star‐Spangled Banner” played. Smith had won the gold medal, and Carlos the bronze. They had been separated at the finish by Peter Norman, a Salvation Army member and schoolteacher from . Unfortunately, Norman’s apparent complic‐ ity in the black‐power episode tended at the time, and even in the years afterwards, to divert attention from the quality of his performance. In winning the silver medal, he did better than any Australian male sprinter in history: the bronze medallists (1900) and Hec Hogan (1956) remain the only other placegetters in events up to 200 metres.

Earlier in the year, Norman had won the third of his five national championships over 200 metres. When he arrived in Mexico City he had never bettered 20.5 seconds for the 200 metres; although he ran some remarkably fast times on the Olympic village track, he was given little hope in a race which most saw as a private duel between Smith and Carlos. In the first round Norman caused some shock by setting an Olympic record of 20.2 seconds. The two Americans won the semi‐finals in 20.1 seconds, but Norman galloped home only a tenth of a second behind Carlos. In the final Smith took the lead with 60 metres to go, and crossed the line with arms raised. As Carlos turned his head to watch him go by, Norman, who had been in sixth place entering the straight, slipped past him to lunge for the line and take silver. His time was recorded electronically as 19.97,which converted in those days of one—decimal point times to 20.0.

When the placegetters boarded the victory dais, all three wore civil rights badges, and by mutual agreement they did not shake hands. Smith and Carlos were shoeless, and each raised a black‐gloved fist during the anthem; later they explained that the fists symbolised black strength and unity, and the feet were a reminder of black poverty in the United States. Olympic officials were outraged. The IOC let it be known that it felt they should be punished, and the United States Olympic Committee suspended them both, ordering them to leave the village. One sportswriter dubbed them “black‐skinned storm‐ troopers”. Norman, a sincere young man whose favourite tracksuit was adorned with the words “God is Love”, let it be known that he felt some sympathy for the views of Smith and Carlos. “I believe in civil rights,” he told reporters. “Every man is born equal, and should be treated that way.”Although he was cautioned gently by Patching to be careful about his public statements, Australia and the Olympic Games

1968 Mexico Olympics The Games

Norman had no regrets ‐ at the time, and even twenty‐five years later. “Tommie Smith was my friend,” he said in 1993. “We’d met first in 1966. When he visited Melbourne in 1968, at a time when his wife was about to give birth, I gave him bootees for the baby. I was happy to identify with him, and the principles he believed in.”'

Source: Harry Gordon, Australia and the Olympic Games, Queensland University Press, 1996 (3rd edition), p281.

Australia and the Olympic Games

1968 Mexico Olympics The Games

What preceded the protest? Norman got on well with Smith but he and Carlos were strong rivals in Mexico and taunted each other in the lead up to the race. Norman won the silver and Carlos the bronze. So what followed at the victory ceremony was significant on a personal level for Norman.

Peter Norman recalls:

Once the race was over, the animosity between Peter and John Carlos dissipated. All the pre‐race trash talk was forgotten. Peter related how ‘down in the dressing rooms, Carlos and I made our peace by shaking hands and embracing and we’ve been very firm friends ever since’.

The most important thing I did that day was shake John’s hand after the race. That made me part of what he and Tommie were going to do. They knew they could trust me. We were on our own during preparations for the medal ceremony. There were a couple of officials floating around but they weren’t taking much notice of us and we weren’t taking much notice of them.

The ceremony was well‐rehearsed before we went out. We discussed it and went through the actions that were going to take place and the possible ramifications. We didn’t go through physical rehearsal. It was rehearsed in our minds. I wasn’t nervous about the demonstration that was about to take place. I was probably more nervous about being out there as an Olympic medallist.

Tommie and John planned on wearing gloves on to the victory dais and going through certain motions. Then John discovered he had left his gloves back in the village. Tommie was still going to wear his. I suggested they wear one each as they were only going to hold up one hand. So that’s what they did. John’s got the glove on the left hand and Tommie the right hand. I suggested that if they had an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge‘ I’d wear it in support. As we were going out on to the track, , the cox of the US rowing eight, came over to congratulate the guys. The rowing team was supporting the African‐American guys. Paul, who is white, had his badge on. As Paul reached over to shake hands with John, while John had his right hand clenched, he reached across with his left hand and undid Paul’s badge. He then pinned it on my tracksuit. I proudly wore it on to the stand.

Paul Hoffman recalled thinking at the time, ‘If this Australian wants my badge, then by God he’s gonna have it! I’m glad I was able to give it to him. I know the guys on the stand were tremendously pleased to have his support.”

Source: Damian Johnstone and Matt Norman, A Race to Remember –The Peter Norman Story, JoJo Publishing, Docklands Victoria, 2008, pp38‐39.