Where flame started
John carlos was born in Harlem, New York City, NY in 1945 he was an A Student throughout his school career praised by his teachers and coaches which was surprising due to the area that he grew up in which was a poor run down borough. This really helped him discover what he wanted to do after his failed dream as an olympic swimmer due to his inability to go into the white pools since he was a different race this inspired him to get into civil rights after years of torment the 1964 Harlem riots pushed him off the edge, joining the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) and becoming one of their main spokespeople, he started making a change in not only the United States but in the whole world. He cried out for racism of whites, blacks, natives, asians etc. Yet this is not what Tommie Smith claimed, he claimed it's for black racism and its for black power. This has caused a divide in their friendship. America already had been plagued with racism for decades before this event things such as the montgomery bus boycotts or the multiple riots that flamed up throughout the United States. So it was no surprise when the black American athletes took a stand. Considering they were so popular in the black community, many of them were involved in civil rights and the Olympic Project for Human Rights. So it was just a matter of time till they spoke out against the awful mistreatment of all races. Primarily black discrimination, but they vouched for human rights in general.