The iconic photo of John Carlos and Tommie Smith, black-gloved fists raised in the air at the 1968 Olympics.
Everyone who has spent time on the SJSU campus has seen the image and the statue commemorating that moment. But what is the full story behind it? Why was it such an impactful moment not only in sport, but in American society? And what can it teach today's athletes about using their platforms to speak out?
As the Spartans get set to start a new semester, they will join together – virtually – for the Spartans United Welcome Back Event, created by a new group of SJSU student-athletes and staff called SJSpeaksUp.
After the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota, protests popped up worldwide addressing racial injustice. Locally, men's basketball's Caleb Simmons, women's soccer's Natasha Harris and women's soccer's Darrian Reed took to social media to promote Athletes4CHNGES, an 8.46-mile run/walk/bike/swim fundraiser for Black Lives Matter charities. On the football team, a group of players were organizing a group called People of Change (POC), with similar goals of sparking social change.
Tobruk Blaine, the director of the Beyond Football program, helped bring the two groups together and SJSpeaksUp was born. Since that time, the group has created an Instagram account (@SJSpeaksUp) where films, books and articles are promoted to reach other Spartans about racial inequality and social change. The group's mission statement is to educate, engage, empower and enact change for equality.
The student leaders for SJSpeaksUp are Simmons, Harris and Reed plus football's Jordan Cobbs, women's soccer's Hannah Hall, track and field's Diamond Tabron, women's soccer's Karlee Pottorff and beach volleyball's Kiley Lingenfelter.
The athletics department's welcome back event on Aug. 18 will address John Carlos and Tommie Smith, the history of activism at SJSU and in sports and also how today's current Spartans can keep the conversation going.
"We are a university with a tradition of activism and having uncomfortable conversations," Blaine said. "SJSpeaksUp is a continuation of that tradition. Our student-athletes hope it can be a long-term group in the athletics department that helps unite student-athletes from all sports and sparks some positive change, both on campus and in San Jose."
SJSU Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Kathy Wong(Lau) and Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Day will discuss the campus resources in place to help all students learn more about social injustice and ways to fight it. Programing available at Counseling and Psychological Services, the César Chávez Community Action Center, the African-American/Black Student Success Center, the Chicanx/Latino Student Success Center (Centro), the MOSIAC Cross Cultural Center and the PRIDE Center will be shared.
Following a video about the history of Carlos and Smith, Simmons and Tabron will host a panel discussion on activism in sports.
Football assistant coach Alonzo Carter will be joined by Jahmal Williams, the program director of the African-American/Black Student Success Center, and two members of the Study of Sports, Society and Social Change - former SJSU football player and current SJSU professor, Dr. Shaun Fletcher, and Dr. Akilah Carter-Francique, the group's executive director.
The discussion will center on the history of activism at SJSU, activism in the world of sports and what activism means to the panelists.
"Personally, my own experiences with racism have been a big motivator in finding ways to end systematic oppression," Reed said. "I know these issues are much bigger than me, but I believe sharing our message to others will have a tremendous ripple effect in the long run for change. Fortunately for us, we have amazing coaches and teammates who believe and support our stance against racial injustices. I know not every program is like ours, and that's why having this kind of platform is so important. I want to utilize this platform to provide safe spaces for everyone to use their voice and stand up for equality."
