Time - 100 Photographs - The Most Influential Images of All Time - USA (2019)

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The Olympics are intended to be a celebration of global

unity. But when the American sprinters Tommie Smith and

John Carlos ascended the medal stand at the 1968 Games

in Mexico City, they were determined to shatter the illu-

sion that all was right in the world. Just before “The Star-

Spangled Banner” began to play, Smith, the gold medal-

ist, and Carlos, the bronze winner, bowed their heads and

raised black-gloved fists in the air. Their message could not

have been clearer: Before we salute America, America must

treat blacks as equal. “We knew that what we were going to

do was far greater than any athletic feat,” Carlos later said.

John Dominis, a quick-fingered life photographer known

for capturing unexpected moments, shot a close-up that

revealed another layer: Smith in black socks, his running

shoes off, in a gesture meant to symbolize black poverty.

Published in life, Dominis’ image turned the somber pro-

test into an iconic emblem of the turbulent 1960s.

BLACK POWER SALUTE John Dominis, 1968