(CNN)They stood united on the Olympic podium, heads bowed, black-gloved fists raised in the Black Power salute while the “The Star Spangled Banner” rang out to honor athletic achievement.
The gesture by US athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Mexico Olympics became one of the century’s most iconic sports images, one now celebrated in popular memory as a progressive moment.
The reality, however, was quite different, and this week’s 50th anniversary falls at a time when athletes, such as Colin Kaepernick and Serena Williams, are once again in the spotlight for their activism.
