50 years after raised fists at Olympics, legacy of protest continues with Kaepernick

Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) — It was a moment in time that, even if you haven’t heard the story, you’ve probably seen the images.

The date was Oct. 16, 1968, and Tommie Smith and John Carlos had just won the gold and bronze medals, respectively, at the Mexico City Summer Olympics. They had just finished the 200-meter sprint and earned the United States two spots on the medals podium.

But standing on the podium, the runners wore only their socks to shine a light on poverty in black communities. They wore clothing to protest lynchings — Smith a scarf,