Olympic Black Power Statue

At San Jose State University, a powerful bronze statue commemorates the moment on 22 October 1968 when sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised gloved fists on the Olympic podium in Mexico City during the US national anthem — one of the most iconic acts of protest in sports history. Both men were San Jose State students, and the university created this statue in 2005 to honour what they did.

The sculpture shows Smith and Carlos on a raised podium, fists raised, heads bowed. The silver medallist position is left empty, an invitation for visitors to stand alongside the bronze athletes. It is a remarkable piece of public art — simple, direct, and still capable of stopping people in their tracks. Located on the east side of the SJSU campus, a short walk from downtown.

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The two athletes on the statue are San Jose State students Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised their fists on the Mexico City Olympic podium in 1968. The third figure on the original podium — Australian silver medallist Peter Norman — is absent from the statue, though Norman wore an OPHR badge in solidarity and was ostracised by Australian athletics authorities for the rest of his career. At his funeral in 2006, Smith and Carlos were pallbearers.