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5. Black Power International Politics and the Revolt of the Black Athlete There were several unsuccessful proposed efforts to organize African American athletes to boycott the Olympic Games because of the persistence of racial discrimination. The outspoken African American activist Dick Gregory in 1963 unsuccessfully proposed a boycott of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. A year later, the idea was resurrected. However, the new proposal came from an unlikely source: Mal Whitfield, the conservative Republican and former Olympic track champion. Whitfield had repeatedly toured internationally as a goodwill ambassador who embodied the State Department’s emphasis on racial progress. At the time of his suggestion , Whitfield was employed as a health and athletic adviser to the Nigerian government. “Let’s Boycott the Olympics” was the shocking title of an article Whitfield wrote for Ebony’s March 1964 edition. Whitfield asserted that his State Department–sponsored travels abroad were a prime motivation for his call to action. As he tried to “tell the story of democracy,” the three-time gold medalist asserted that he reportedly faced several questions: “Why are you here trying to sell us on democracy when there is no democracy for your kind in America?” “Why are you in front of us talking about what sports can do for integration when some of the best athletes in the world are American black athletes, yet they are accepted only to a point?” State Department reports had expressed relief at the skillful ways Whitfield addressed these legitimate concerns when he toured throughout Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world. Undoubtedly, State Department policy makers could not have predicted Mal Whitfield’s discontentment and activism.1 Thomas_Text.indd 133 7/22/12 10:07 AM 134 Chapter five The impetus for Whitfield’s new aggressive posture was the delayed passage and filibustering of the civil rights bill that was languishing before Congress in early 1964. He believed that it was “time for American Negro athletes to join in the civil rights fight—a fight that is far from won, despite certain progress made during the past year.” Describing the “conspicuous ” absence of wide-scale involvement by athletes in the battle for racial equality, he argued that drastic actions needed to be taken to ensure that greater rights were granted to African Americans. Arguing that “it is time for America to live up to its promises of Liberty, Equality, and Justice for all, or be shown up to the world as a nation where the color of one’s skin takes precedence over the quality of one’s mind and character,” Whitfield issued a conditional challenge to potential African American Olympians. The former Olympic champion said that if civil rights legislation was not passed by the time the Olympic Games began in October, African Americans should stay home.2 Whitfield’s suggestion elicited few responses from both the African American and the white communities. Consequently, the Olympic-boycott idea did not receive widespread support. Most of the African American athletes were sympathetic with his frustration, but unwilling to seriously consider forfeiting their Olympic dreams. Ultimately, significant civil rights legislation was passed in 1964 and 1965. Nonetheless, many of the problems plaguing the African American community continued to persist. Consequently, some elite African American athletes, including Lew Alcindor and Tommie Smith, were willing to seriously contemplate boycotting the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. “Black Power: International Politics and the Revolt of the Black Athlete” explores the altered domestic and international landscapes that caused African American athletes to challenge the State Department’s propaganda regarding the meaning of African American athletic success. After the passage of civil rights legislation in 1964 and 1965, many Americans believed that the nation’s racial problems had been solved. However, after the civil rights movement gave way to the more rhetorically aggressive Black Power movement, the nature of protest in the African American community was altered. I argue that the protest gestures of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico City were a direct response to the State Department’s use of African American athletes as propaganda tools. Furthermore, I show that these athletes saw themselves as picking up Malcolm X’s mantle and mission. These athletes were heavily influenced by Malcolm and believed that their actions were the equivalent of taking the United States before the United Nations on charges of violation of international law. Perhaps most Thomas_Text.indd 134 7/22/12 10:07 AM [18.119.133.228] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 03:47 GMT...

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