Two black athletes created a firestorm when they raised their fists during the 1968 olympics.
ATLANTA (WXIA) -- It was a searing moment in American history, and the image became a cultural touchstone in the black community. There they were, two black athletes on the podium during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, their gloved fists punching the air.
They did it to draw attention to a cause, but most of the initial attention went straight to the two medalists.
"Many people told me I was wrong, my thought process was wrong, my attitude was wrong, but I think I've been proven to be right," said John Carlos, the bronze medalist on the podium that day.
Carlos kicked off Clark Atlanta University's black history month celebration with a passionate speech Wednesday. He told the packed auditorium he and his teammate Tommie Smith were booed in the stadium at the time, then cursed and threatened when they returned home. They were banned from the Olympics, but Carlos said he stuck to his message.
"The message was that we have a serious issue [with racism in the US,] and we need to come to the table and have a dialogue to address the social ills of our society," Carlos said. "We need to stop kicking it under the carpet, we always want to hide [racism] like it's something that doesn't exist."
The photograph made an iconic and immortal statement, and Carlos told the Clark Atlanta students he was no different than any of them. He said he simply stood up when he felt called to take that stand, and they must be prepared to do the same thing.
"I was born for that move in Mexico City," Carlos said.
Carlos said enough years have gone by that he's now congratulated for the salute and rarely condemned. He said he sees a parallel between the 1960s civil rights struggle and that of the Occupy Wall Street movement. He was recently pictured raising his fist again at an Occupy rally.
"His story before that time and since that time is a vital piece of American history," said friend and Clark Atlanta University President Carlton Brown. "We want out faculty and our students to get an understanding of that story."