Victory Salute (statue)

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Victory Salute
"Victory Salute", Olympic Black Power Statue 2 (cropped).jpg
Victory Salute (statue)
Artist Rigo 23
Year2005
MediumBronze Sautes covered in a fiberglass mosaic
Subject Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Dimensions6.7 m(22 ft)
Location San Jose, California, United States
Coordinates 37°20′08″N121°52′57″W / 37.335495°N 121.882563°W / 37.335495; -121.882563
Owner San Jose State University

Victory Salute, commonly referred to as the Olympic Black Power Statue, is a monument depicting the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute performed by African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos. The monument consists of two bronze statues covered in a fiberglass mosaic, atop a concrete base designed to emulate the Olympic podium. It was created in 2005 by Portuguese artist Rigo 23 and is installed next to Tower Hall on the San José State University campus, in San Jose, California, United States.

Contents

History

The photo recreated by Victory Salute John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Peter Norman 1968cr.jpg
The photo recreated by Victory Salute

In 1968, as members of San Jose State's Speed City era of athletics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. After earning gold and bronze medals respectively, the duo raised a Black Power salute while " The Star-Spangled Banner" played, which became one of the most defining acts of protest of the civil rights movement. [1] [2] [3] Despite disapproval of the protest among the general public, San Jose State President Robert D. Clark expressed his support of the act. [4]

In Winter 2002, San Jose State student, Erik Grotz, initiated a project to honor Smith and Carlos at their alma mater; "One of my professors [Cobie Harris] [5] [6] was talking about unsung heroes and he mentioned Tommie Smith and John Carlos. He said these men had done a courageous thing to advance civil rights, and, yet, they had never been honored by their own school". [7] Grotz worked with Department of Art Chair, Dr. Robert Milnes to create a mock-up to pitch to the University's Associated Students board, who approved the project on December 11, 2002 and began fundraising. [8]

The Associated Students raised over $300,000 for the project [9] [5] and initially intended the statue to be placed next to the now former location of the Scheller House [10] on the Paseo de San Carlos. [11] However, the project was moved to be on the lawn adjacent to the Tower Hall and the Robert D. Clark Hall in order to be in a more central location on campus and to honor President Clark's support of the protest. [12] On October 16, 2003, the 35th anniversary of the protest, Portuguese artist Rigo 23 was announced to be the sculptor for the project. [8]

Victory Salute was assembled in early October 2005 [13] , and was unveiled to the public on October 17, 2005, drawing hundreds in attendance. A panel discussion was held featuring Smith and Carlos, as well as silver-medalist Peter Norman, fellow Speed City era sprinter Lee Evans, and head coach Payton Jordan. [14] Additional speeches were given by vice-mayor of San Jose Cindy Chavez, San Jose State President Don W. Kassing, and actor Delroy Lindo, followed by honorary doctorate degree s awarded to Smith and Carlos. [15] [16] The statue was unveiled during a performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner", mirroring the original protest. [15]

In January 2007, History San Jose opened a new exhibit called Speed City: From Civil Rights to Black Power, covering the San Jose State athletic program. The exhibit focused on the San Jose State athletic program, highlighting how many student athletes from the Speed city program gained global recognition during Civil Rights and Black Power movements. [17]

In 2008, after critics argued that Victory Salute does not give unfamiliar onlookers the appropriate historical context, a plaque was added in front of Victory Salute. [18] [19] The plaque reads:

At the México City 1968 Summer Games,
San José State University Student-Athletes
Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Stood for
Justice, Dignity, Equality, and Peace.

Hereby the University and Associated Students
Commemorate their Legacy.

16 October 2005.

In 2022, San Jose State students and faculty embedded Victory Salute into their Public Art as Resistance project. [20] [21] [22]

Design

Victory Salute was Rigo 23's first-ever sculpture, but wanted the statue to be a "labor of love". In order to correctly sculpt the musculature, he took 3D full-body scans of Smith and Carlos. [12] Rigo 23's signature is on the back of Smith's shoe, and the year 2005 is on Carlos' shoe. [23]

The statues' faces were rendered realistically and with emphasis placed on the emotion of the athletes. They were constructed from fiberglass over steel supports and covered with ceramic tiles, their track pants and jackets form a mosaic of dark blue ceramic tiles, with red and white detailing on the stripes of the track suits. [24]

Peter Norman was intentionally occluded from the monument, which Norman himself requested so that visitors could participate by standing in his place, and feeling what he felt. [25] [26] “I love that idea,” said Norman. “Anybody can get up there and stand up for something they believe in. I guess that just about says it all”. [27] [5] There is a plaque in the empty spot which reads "Fellow Athlete Australian Peter Norman Stood Here in Solidarity Take a Stand". [18]

Use as protest space

Due to Victory Salute depicting an act of protest during the civil rights movement, as well as its proximity to San Jose City Hall (less than 0.3 miles away), the statue and its surrounding lawn have been focal points for protests in San Jose. [18]

2020 Black Lives Matter protests

On June 5, 2020, after the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, a protest was held at Victory Salute with protestors raising their fists, mirroring the 1968 protest. [28] On September 1 of that year, San Jose State student athletes organized a protest which started with the athletes giving speeches given at Victory Salute, followed by a march to the City Hall. [29]

2024 pro-Palestine protests and encampment

The 2024 pro-Palestine encampment surrounding Victory Salute Pro-Palestine Protest at SJSU.jpg
The 2024 pro-Palestine encampment surrounding Victory Salute

On October 12, 2023, after the Hamas-led attack on Israel and subsequent Israel–Hamas war, the San Jose State chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized a protest consisting of speeches given at Victory Salute, followed by a march around the campus. [30]

In April 2024, following the campus occupation at Columbia University, student protestors began demanding that San Jose State divest from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians. The university's Associated Students board unanimously adopted a measure to boycott Silicon Valley companies active in pro-Israeli activity on April 24. [31]

Protests continued on campus, [32] when on May 13, an encampment was established on the lawn around Victory Salute. [33] [34] One of the encampment's demands was the firing of history professor Johnathan Roth after a physical altercation between himself and a pro-Palestine protestor in February 2024. [35] [36] On May 14, the University communicated with the protestors about their demands but asserted that the encampment had to be disbanded before finals began on May 15. [37] [38] Additionally, the University released a statement cosigned by Tommie Smith, John Carlos, activist Harry Edwards, and activist Ken Noel which expressed disapproval of the encampment around Victory Salute. [39] Rigo 23 released a statement supporting the encampment and gave a speech at the encampment. [39]

On May 21, the protestors met with University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Mari Fuentes-Martin to discuss the protestors' demands. Teniente-Matson suggested the creation of a student advisory council composed of students from Middle Eastern student organizations that would work with faculty to address concerns about university partnerships with Israel. Following these talks, the encampment was dismantled on May 23. [40]

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad and commonly known as Mexico 1968, were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America and the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country. They were also the first Games to use an all-weather (smooth) track for track and field events instead of the traditional cinder track, as well as the first example of the Olympics exclusively using electronic timekeeping equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose State University</span> Public university in San Jose, California, U.S.

San José State University is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) system. The university, alongside the University of California, Los Angeles has academic origins in the historic normal school known as the California State Normal School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommie Smith</span> American athlete known for the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute (born 1944)

Tommie C. Smith is an American former track and field athlete and former wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith, aged 24, won the 200-meter sprint finals and gold medal in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20-second barrier was broken officially. His Black Power salute with John Carlos atop the medal podium to protest racism and injustice against African Americans in the United States caused controversy, as it was seen as politicizing the Olympic Games. It remains a symbolic moment in the history of the Black Power movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Evans (sprinter)</span> American track and field athlete (1947–2021)

Lee Edward Evans was an American sprinter. He won two gold medals in the 1968 Summer Olympics, setting world records in the 400 meters and the 4 × 400 meters relay, both of which stood for 20 and 24 years respectively. Evans co-founded the Olympic Project for Human Rights and was part of the athlete's boycott and the Black Power movement.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carlos</span> American track and field athlete

John Wesley Carlos is an American former track and field athlete and professional American football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he displayed the Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith. He went on to tie the world record in the 100-yard dash and beat the 200 meters world record. After his track career, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Canadian Football League but retired due to injury.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Olympics Black Power salute</span> Protest during 1968 Olympic Games

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rigo 23</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Edwards (sociologist)</span> American sociologist and civil rights activist

Harry Thomas Edwards is an American sociologist and civil rights activist. After working as an assistant professor of sociology at San Jose State College, he completed his Ph.D. at Cornell University and is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Edwards' career has focused on the experiences of African-American athletes.

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The Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) was an American organization established by sociologist Harry Edwards and multiple Black American athletes, including noted Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos, on October 7, 1967. The purpose of the group was to advocate for civil rights and human rights for Black people in the United States and abroad, along with protesting racism in sport in general. The OPHR proposed a complete Black athlete boycott of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City to achieve its goals. While the OPHR advocated for a boycott backed by all Black Americans, the group did not actively include women in its discussions and in the end was mostly composed of track and field athletes.

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References

  1. ↑ "1968: Black athletes make silent protest" (PDF). SJSU. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  2. ↑ "1968: Black athletes make silent protest". BBC. 17 October 1968. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
  3. ↑ Slot, Owen (2024-10-19). "America finally honours rebels as clenched fist becomes salute". ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  4. ↑ Asimov, Nanette. "Robert Clark -- former San Jose State president". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  5. 1 2 3 Carlos, John; Zirin, Dave (2011). The John Carlos Story. Haymarket Books. pp. 168–169. ISBN   9781608462247.
  6. ↑ "Dr. Cobie Archer Harris (Kwasi) | NCOBPS, Inc" . Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  7. ↑ Dickey, Glenn (May 27, 2005). "Overdue honor: SJS pays tribute to Smith, Carlos". SFGate .
  8. 1 2 Barbassa, Juliana (May 14, 2003). "San Jose State Students Want Statue". Midland Daily News . Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ↑ Pellissier, Hank (2010-08-29). "Black Power Statue". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  10. ↑ "Historic Scheller House at San Jose State being moved". The Mercury News . 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  11. ↑ Yuen, Kevin (2004-10-18). "Carlos and Smith visit King Library, discuss SJSU athletics, '68 Olympics". Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications). 123 (34): 1, 3.
  12. 1 2 Biela, Sara. "Beyond Bronze". sjsunews.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  13. ↑ White, Kevin; Liu, Ben (2005-10-06). "Tommie Stands Tall". Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications). 125 (24).
  14. ↑ Beitpolous, Ilbra (2005-10-18). "Panel revisits '68 Olympics". Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications). 125 (30): 1.
  15. 1 2 Beacham, Greg (2005-10-18). "Statue honors stand at 1968 Olympics". East Bay Times . Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  16. ↑ Cheeto, Barrera (2005-10-18). "'Fists of Freedom' Raised over SJSU". Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications). 125 (30): 1, 4.
  17. ↑ "Speed City: From Civil Rights to Black Power". History San José. July 28, 2005. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  18. 1 2 3 Marinelli, Kevin (June 20, 2016). "Placing second: Empathic unsettlement as a vehicle of consubstantiality at the Silent Gesture statue of Tommie Smith and John Carlos". Memory Studies . 10 (4): 440–458. doi:10.1177/1750698016653442. ISSN   1750-6980.
  19. ↑ Smith, Maureen Margaret (2009). "Frozen Fists in Speed City: The Statue as Twenty-First-Century Reparations". Journal of Sport History. 36 (3): 393–414. ISSN   0094-1700.
  20. ↑ "Victory Salute | Public Art as Resistance in San Jose". www.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  21. ↑ "Public Art as Resistance in San José: A Walking Tour". humanitiesforall.org. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  22. ↑ "Public Art as Resistance Walking Tours | San José Museum of Art". sjmusart.org. 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  23. ↑ San Jose State University, School of Journalism and Mass Communications (2018-10-16). "About the Statue". Spartan Daily, 2018. 151 (24): B4–B5.
  24. ↑ Crumpacker, John. "OLYMPIC PROTEST: Smith and Carlos / Statue captures sprinters' moment / San Jose State honors protest of oppression". SFGATE . Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  25. ↑ "Part 2: John Carlos, 1968 U.S. Olympic Medalist, On the Response to His Iconic Black Power Salute". Democracy Now!. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2015. I would like to have a blank spot there and have a commemorative plaque stating that I was in that spot. But anyone that comes thereafter from around the world and going to San Jose State that support the movement, what you guys had in '68, they could stand in my spot and take the picture.
  26. ↑ "The Story Behind The Missing Man". Bartold Clinical. 2020-06-06. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  27. ↑ Zirin, Dave (October 20, 2005). "When Fists are Frozen: The Statue of Tommie Smith and John Carlos". Edge of Sports. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  28. ↑ Group, Shayna Rubin | Bay Area News (2020-06-14). "SJSU athletes raise awareness, money in unique protest against police brutality". The Mercury News . Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  29. ↑ "San Jose State University athletes organize Black Lives Matter solidarity walk in Downtown San Jose - ABC7 San Francisco". web.archive.org. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  30. ↑ "San Jose State University students rally for Palestine". Fight Back! News. 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  31. ↑ "Resolution in Support of Boycott From Companies That Have Been Involved in the Human Rights Violations in Palestine" (PDF). San Jose State Associated Students. April 24, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  32. ↑ "Students protest on Smith & Carlos lawn". Spartan Daily, 2024. 162 (43): 1. 2024-05-09.
  33. ↑ Peters, LaMonica (2024-05-13). "Pro-Palestinian protesters stage sit-in at San Jose State University". KTVU FOX 2. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  34. ↑ "San Jose State students set up pro-Palestine encampment, but school warns it must come down". The Mercury News . 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  35. ↑ Goldberg; Noah (2024-02-26). "San José State University puts professor on leave over altercation with pro-Palestine student". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  36. ↑ "San Jose State professor suspended after altercation during Gaza protest". The Mercury News . 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  37. ↑ Cannestra, B. Sakura (2024-05-15). "San Jose State students stage protest and call for divestment". San José Spotlight. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  38. ↑ Ta, Alina (May 16, 2024). "San José State University administration responds to encampment". sjsunews.com. Spartan Daily . Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  39. 1 2 Henkes-Power, Kaya (May 16, 2024). "Smith and Carlos confirm disapproval of encampment in email". sjsunews.com. Spartan Daily . Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  40. ↑ "Student encampments end at San Jose State University and University of San Francisco". The Mercury News . 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
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