On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City
Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter
sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium
in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial
injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to
leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and
continuing economic hardships.
In
his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on
his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar
athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic
podium protest. Cowritten with Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King
Author Honor recipient Derrick Barnes and illustrated with bold and
muscular artwork from Emmy Award-winning illustrator Dawud Anyabwile,
Victory. Stand! paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment
in Olympic history that still resonates today.