Empowerment

Just looking at the photo of Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos can empower anyone. I honestly believe that because of people like them that made the U.S. the way it is now. And honestly everyone in my generation and after should be thanking them for doing what they did. The black power salute symbolized basically everything that was being ignored at that time. All of the student riots (that ended in death) that were going on in Mexico, the racism in America and Australia as well. Everyone was experiencing it but there was no one willing to come forth and confront the issue head on like these guys did. It's amazing how much they put themselves at risk to even more discrimination and it really makes me wish I could be more like that.

It really touched me how Peter Norman was such a devoted Australian. If I came back to my nation and I was shunned the way he was I would have been livid. Peter deserved to be a track athlete in the 1972 Olympic Games but they simply said no and Peter just believed that it wasn't meant to be. It's amazing how such a kind person could be turned away like that for just standing there while Tommie Smith and John Carlos were doing the black salute. But as they believe, everything was meant to be just that way because Peter knew what they were doing and he completely supported them. It's amazing the courage that all of them had, and how they were able to live through everything afterward. I honestly believe it's people like them that made it possible for stronger integration of our nation and it wouldn't have happened without the help of them.