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artifist:
blunthought:
I have the 1968 Olympic Black Power Salute hanging in my room, not only because it represents two brothers taking action, but mainly because of Peter Norman.
Some of you might be wondering, “Who is Peter Norman?”
Well, my friends. Peter Norman is that White Australian man who took second place in the 200 meter dash, finishing behind Tommie Smith.
Now you might be wondering, “Why the hell does he matter?”
To me, he is a representation of opportunities missed. He had a chance to stand with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and raise his fist as well. He had the chance to take a risk and make a statement for the world to see… But no, he didn’t.
That is what I see missing from this photograph every time I stare at it…
pretty unfair, dude.
What is less known is that Norman, a white Australian, donned a badge on the podium in support of their cause, the Olympic Project for Human Rights(OPHR). After the race, Carlos and Smith told Norman what they were planning to do during the ceremony. As Flanagan wrote: “They asked Norman if he believed in human rights. He said he did. They asked him if he believed in God. Norman, who came from a Salvation Army background, said he believed strongly in God. “We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, ‘I’ll stand with you’.” Carlos said he expected to see fear in Norman’s eyes. He didn’t. “I saw love.[5] On the way out to the medal ceremony, Norman saw the badge being worn by Paul Hoffman, a white member of the US Rowing Team, and asked him if he could wear it.[6] It was also Norman who suggested that Smith and Carlos share the black gloves used in their salute, after Carlos left his gloves in the Olympic Village.[7] This is the reason for Tommie Smith raising his right fist, while John Carlos raised his left….
Norman, who was sympathetic to his competitors’ protest, was reprimanded by his country’s Olympic authorities and ostracized by the Australian media.[13] He was not picked for the 1972 Summer Olympics, despite finishing third in his trials. Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at his funeral.[14]
w/e his exact reasons for not raising his fist, idk, but it obviously didn’t trouble tommie smith or john carlos.
The reason he didn’t raise his fist was because (in the context) that was a Black Power salute, and it would have been inappropriate for a White Australian (who had no connection to The Cause) to have made it. Also, the reason they told him about it was to give him a chance to back out (and also, presumably, to make sure he didn’t react poorly on the podium) neither of which he did.
The reason he got into so much trouble with the Australian authorities was because, when people asked him about it afterwards, he stated that he was not standing in solidarity with Smith and Carlos (and by extension, The American Civil Rights movement), but with the Aborigines who had been forcibly removed from their families and histories as a part of The Stolen Generation, which was still official policy in Australia at the time.
And when you say “was reprimanded” that should be read as “he never ran again”. To the point where he not only wasn’t invited to run in 1972, but Australia sent no runners whatsoever in his class, so that there was no possibility that he could even have warmed a bench.
32 years later, during the Sydney Olympics, he was once again snubbed by the committee, who refused to even offer him an invite. As a result the American team, who were horrified, personally invited him as their guest of honour, and placed him prominently in their party, which was an even further source of embarrassment to the Australians.
There is now, a statue in honour of the event in San Jose State University, with Normans place left empty, so that you too can, metaphorically, “take a stand” with Smith and Carlos. Americans have also declared the day of his death as a holiday in recognition of his actions. The only memorial in Australia is a mural on the side of somebodies house, which is under threat of being torn down to make way for a railway line. He has never been officially recognised by Australia.
I don’t know how true this is, but in the version of the story I heard, Peter Norman asked them if he should give the salute too and they explained why it would be inappropriate.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz26msjSiP1qi3ir5o1_1280.jpg)
I have the 1968 Olympic Black Power Salute hanging in my room, not only because it represents two brothers taking action, but mainly because of Peter Norman.
Some of you might be wondering, “Who is Peter Norman?”
Well, my friends. Peter Norman is that White Australian man who took second place in the 200 meter dash, finishing behind Tommie Smith.
Now you might be wondering, “Why the hell does he matter?”
To me, he is a representation of opportunities missed. He had a chance to stand with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and raise his fist as well. He had the chance to take a risk and make a statement for the world to see… But no, he didn’t.
That is what I see missing from this photograph every time I stare at it…
pretty unfair, dude.
What is less known is that Norman, a white Australian, donned a badge on the podium in support of their cause, the Olympic Project for Human Rights(OPHR). After the race, Carlos and Smith told Norman what they were planning to do during the ceremony. As Flanagan wrote: “They asked Norman if he believed in human rights. He said he did. They asked him if he believed in God. Norman, who came from a Salvation Army background, said he believed strongly in God. “We knew that what we were going to do was far greater than any athletic feat. He said, ‘I’ll stand with you’.” Carlos said he expected to see fear in Norman’s eyes. He didn’t. “I saw love.[5] On the way out to the medal ceremony, Norman saw the badge being worn by Paul Hoffman, a white member of the US Rowing Team, and asked him if he could wear it.[6] It was also Norman who suggested that Smith and Carlos share the black gloves used in their salute, after Carlos left his gloves in the Olympic Village.[7] This is the reason for Tommie Smith raising his right fist, while John Carlos raised his left….
Norman, who was sympathetic to his competitors’ protest, was reprimanded by his country’s Olympic authorities and ostracized by the Australian media.[13] He was not picked for the 1972 Summer Olympics, despite finishing third in his trials. Smith and Carlos were pallbearers at his funeral.[14]
w/e his exact reasons for not raising his fist, idk, but it obviously didn’t trouble tommie smith or john carlos.
The reason he didn’t raise his fist was because (in the context) that was a Black Power salute, and it would have been inappropriate for a White Australian (who had no connection to The Cause) to have made it. Also, the reason they told him about it was to give him a chance to back out (and also, presumably, to make sure he didn’t react poorly on the podium) neither of which he did.
The reason he got into so much trouble with the Australian authorities was because, when people asked him about it afterwards, he stated that he was not standing in solidarity with Smith and Carlos (and by extension, The American Civil Rights movement), but with the Aborigines who had been forcibly removed from their families and histories as a part of The Stolen Generation, which was still official policy in Australia at the time.
And when you say “was reprimanded” that should be read as “he never ran again”. To the point where he not only wasn’t invited to run in 1972, but Australia sent no runners whatsoever in his class, so that there was no possibility that he could even have warmed a bench.
32 years later, during the Sydney Olympics, he was once again snubbed by the committee, who refused to even offer him an invite. As a result the American team, who were horrified, personally invited him as their guest of honour, and placed him prominently in their party, which was an even further source of embarrassment to the Australians.
There is now, a statue in honour of the event in San Jose State University, with Normans place left empty, so that you too can, metaphorically, “take a stand” with Smith and Carlos. Americans have also declared the day of his death as a holiday in recognition of his actions. The only memorial in Australia is a mural on the side of somebodies house, which is under threat of being torn down to make way for a railway line. He has never been officially recognised by Australia.
I don’t know how true this is, but in the version of the story I heard, Peter Norman asked them if he should give the salute too and they explained why it would be inappropriate.
