John Carlos, Olympian Who Raised Fist, Is Bellevue MLK Day Guest

BELLEVUE, WA - Olympic medalist and civil rights icon John Carlos will speak in Bellevue on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Carlos and fellow track-and-field medal winner Tommie Smith, their fists raised in the air, appeared in an iconic photo taken at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

Carlos, 72, will give a keynote address on Jan. 17 at 12:30 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall. Carlos' remarks will be part of a day of service in Bellevue, including a tree planting at Eastgate Park at 10 a.m. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be a series of speakers, music, and a community health fair at the Crossroads Shopping Center.

Carlos won a bronze medal for the 200-meter dash in Mexico City in 1968. As a member of the Olympic Project For Human Rights, Carlos and others wanted South Africa removed from the games, and for Muhammad Ali to have his heavyweight title restored. Carlos and Smith wore black socks with no shoes when they appeared on the podium to accept their medals, a symbol of the poverty black Americans live in.

To reserve a spot for Carlos' talk at City Hall, register here.

Caption: On Oct. 16, 1968, Australian silver medalist Peter Norman, left, stands on the podium as Americans Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos raise their gloved fists in a human rights protest.

AP file photo