Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice

“All they had known, all their parents and grandparents had known, was work. They understood that the only way that Black folks would avoid the seemingly inescapable cotton fields, the now-invisible chains, and laboring an entire day in unforgiving heat was to receive even just a portion of the education that white children were afforded.”

Tommie’s statement here reflects a long history of how Black people have been exploited for their labor. He also alludes to the ways that, although slavery has long been abolished, racist attempts to continue exploiting Black people for their work are “now-invisible chains.”

“If I’d had the opportunity that you have, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now—I’d be doing much better.”

Tommie’s father in particular imagines a new life for Tommie by encouraging him and his siblings to take advantage of their opportunity to receive an education in California. Tommie’s father is an important figure within the theme of Education as Providing Access to Opportunity, given his keen awareness of how lacking an education has restricted his own opportunities in life. The man works hard to build a life for his children that is better than what he experienced, and he actively encourages his children to be both practical and to dream.

“Apparently, their hands could be easily seen when they raised them, seeking permission to go to the bathroom or to answer questions, but not mine.”

It isn’t until Tommie starts attending school in California, where he interacts more with white children, that he begins to see the difference between how white students and Black students are treated. Observing the prioritization of white children over Black children prompts Tommie to begin considering manifestations of racism in the world more broadly. He also associates his treatment in the school with a kind of silencing of Black students, and his activism, which centers on using his platform to raise his voice, constitutes a direct response.

“Even at that age, I took challenges personally. I was a winner. That I knew.”

A key part of Tommie’s character is his faith in himself. He always has confidence in his abilities as a runner, and he never lets anyone else’s feelings about him interfere with his vision of himself athletically. The theme of Using Sports to Persevere is evident in this confidence—a confidence that the racist systems with which Tommie must interact strive to discourage.

“Everyone treated me like I was David. Goliath was every upperclassman who had ever crushed a fourth grader.”

Tommie’s first race against his sister and another older white student is critical to his journey as a runner. His success highlights his ability as a runner and starts him down the path to the 1968 Olympics.

“The race ignited something in me, a feeling of invigorating, unabashed achievement that no one could take from me.”

Tommie’s love for running extends beyond competition. He loves the feeling it gives him, and he feels a passion for the sport ignited in him. In a world that treats him unfairly because of the color of his skin, racing becomes a way for him to supersede all expectations, and he uses it to build his perseverance.

“But when I ran, I was away from those fields. I felt free. It was like discovering a set of wings, racing on a bed of clouds might not be an impossibility.”

Tommie sees how hard his family has worked, laboring in fields his whole life. Sports become his way out of this future, and while his parents are unsure that he would be able to build a life as a runner, he throws himself into it, using his father’s warning to never come in second as encouragement.

“It was nothing but God, the reason I was able to do all these things.”

Religion is a motif throughout Tommie’s memoir. His faith remains very important to him for all of his life, reflecting his childhood of observing every Sunday how Black Americans found strength in their faith. He sees his talent as a gift bestowed by God, and he makes it a priority to credit his faith for his success.

“Sometimes being Black even caused me to view myself, and other people who looked like me, as being of lesser value—not as human as whites.”

While Tommie is confident as a runner, he lives in a society that works to oppress Black people. His confession in Chapter 2 shows how even the most confident folks can falter under the weight of a society that would prefer them to stay silent and passive.

“The more I won medals, trophies, and even belt buckles, the more it felt as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on my life.”

Tommie’s running career takes off, and he quickly gains more and more attention as he breaks school, national, and eventually world records. Running is a big part of his life, but this quote also reveals how Tommie uses the evolution of his career to move his narrative through time.

“Soon it would be my turn to leave my parents behind, my younger siblings. How would they fare without me? Who would help my father the way I could around the house or when he needed help in the field? Who would look after them?”

Growing up as close to one’s family as Tommie did, he feels an intense connection and responsibility to continue to contribute to their well-being. However, he also knows that they want him to pursue an education, even if it means that it’s far away. He struggles to balance his homesickness with his running ambition but ultimately chooses to follow a path that he envisions for himself.

“So I could miss my family terribly, but I also knew that if I did what I came to do, I’d never have to work in another field again.”

Tommie has seen his family work hard in fields for his whole life. He wants something different for himself. This quote echoes the emphasis on education as a means of gaining opportunity, with Tommie discussing how his homesickness will be worth it if he can get a good education, which in turn can prepare him for a good career.

“I’d spend my free time in the library, doing personal research on the history of America, learning more about who I was, where I came from, and how I fit into the grand scheme of it all.”

Tommie has a deep interest in the roots of racial discrimination, never quite understanding how some white people could look down on Black people, who had long struggled for freedom. By understanding the history, however, he comes to better understand the present and how Black people have been discriminated against systemically.

“With Coach Winter, I was discovering who I could become on the track. And what I was becoming was a force to be reckoned with.”

Tommie’s decision to focus on track and field during his sophomore year of college allows him to build his skills and take them to the next level. Working with Coach Winter allows him to view his body and its abilities from a different perspective, and he comes to understand his gifts as a runner more deeply, which later provides the foundation for his gifts as an activist.

“But records are made to be broken. I knew there was a great race inside me. I felt it. It was my time.”

When Tommie sets his first world record, it is proof that he can excel as a runner. He achieves a goal he didn’t even know he was setting out to achieve when he takes part in his first race. He recognizes his gifts and talents and wants to prove that he is the best.

“Shifting power between muscles was an ability I had begun to master.”

As Tommie learns to use his body in a more nuanced way while in college sports, he is also building his ability to persevere mentally and emotionally. This growing capacity helps him remain focused on the track and in his activism.

“I was certain that God had placed me in that race and on that road with those students purposefully.”

Tommie’s faith is important to him, and the fact that his world-record-setting race is the same day as the solitary march at San Jose State is a moment of kismet for Tommie. It is a critical day where he begins to see how his great athletic skill can also provide him with a chance to speak up against racism.

“Maybe they saw us as troublemakers for just simply being…just simply being alive.”

As white spectators insult Tommie and his peers, Tommie is struck by the lack of support for their march. Believing in justice for those who were harmed by law enforcement officers in Alabama, Tommie comes to recognize that many white people expect Black people to remain quiet and unseen.

“I would no longer remain silent, invisible. The world would soon know my name, most definitely on the track—and off.”

Tommie comes into his own as an activist once he realizes that sports can provide a stage on which he can speak out against injustice. He works to be both a talented athlete and an advocate for others.

“We were not a priority. We, the children of sharecroppers and farm hands, and the grandchildren of slaves, had no right to make demands.”

The struggle for equality and the treatment of Black activists show how the American government did little to prioritize the lives of Black people, perpetuating a belief that once slavery was ended, everyone was equal. However, Tommie works to bring his story, his family’s story, and the stories of Black people across the country into the light.

“From the cotton fields of Texas and California…to an Olympic field in Mexico…and a gold medal with a green ribbon around my neck. A mighty long way.”

Tommie’s story is one of coming from nothing to achieve greatness. Even if he will soon be treated unfairly because of his decision to protest at the Olympics, he is proud of himself for working hard and achieving all that he has as an athlete.

“There was no way I would place my hand over my heart and honor a flag for a country that did not honor me or the people who looked like me.”

The decision to raise their fists at the Olympics was not one that Tommie and John made lightly, knowing that they would likely be ejected from the games and that their lives would be in danger. It is a peaceful and silent protest, but the image of Tommie and John has become iconic.

“We had to be seen because we were not being heard.”

After many instances of being ignored or even threatened, Tommie uses the world stage at the Olympics to make a statement. While many criticized Tommie for his actions, history has shown that his and John Carlos’s act of protest was an important statement that highlighted the struggle of Black people in the United States.