Tommie Smith

“It was a cry for freedom and for human rights. We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard.”

“If I win, I am an American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black.”

“I had a moral obligation to stand up for human rights.”

“The victory stand was a platform for me to speak to the world.”

“It was a silent gesture to prove that we were united in the cause of freedom, and that we were standing for something bigger than ourselves.”

“We were not afraid. We were just a couple of guys who were standing up for what we believed in.”

“We were just human beings who saw a need to bring attention to the inequality in our country.”

“The salute was a prayer as well. A prayer for justice, a prayer for peace, a prayer that people would hear us.”

“It was a cry for help. A cry for America to be America for all its citizens.”

“I'm not a hero. I'm just a man who believed in something.”

“We were vilified, but we knew what we were doing was right.”

“I went to the Olympics to win a gold medal. I did that. I was a track and field man. I am a track and field man.”

“What I did was not for a moment. It was for a lifetime.”