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The Last Word - UMTerps.com

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The statue is not of an educator, politician or big-money donor, but of Tommie Smith and John Carlos – who raised their fists on the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City in a protest against racism and for human rights.

The roots of their protest grew from that campus, where they were world-class sprinters on a collision course with worldwide fame … but also students who faced the same mistreatment in classes, on campus and around the city as they knew fellow Black people did.

They knew, however, that the stage of sports could be used to shine a spotlight on it all, not just on themselves and their athletic exploits.

Smith and Carlos didn’t originate athlete activism, but their DNA can be found in all the protests since – in Colin Kaepernick and his fellow kneeling players, in the Black Lives Matter movements in every sport, and in this summer’s principled stand on Pac-12 campuses.

The seeds young activists planted long ago aren’t always that obvious now. Greater representation in coaching and athletic department and campus leadership was a pillar of Smith’s and Carlos’ stance. Today, a state flagship university in the south, a member of a power conference, has African Americans holding the positions of president, athletic director and head football coach. (Hint: it’s this one.)

That same institution stripped the name of a former president from the football stadium five years ago, because his history of racism could no longer be tolerated. The movement to change it was largely started by students.

It’s not uncharted territory. The stage is already set. All the young college athletes of this era have to do is step onto it and raise their voices. Or, their fists.

Someday, the statue on the mall, or in front of Maryland Stadium, could be of you.

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