Student assigned Black History Month report on John Carlos brings Olympian to class

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County student brought history to life with his Black History Month project with some help from an Olympic medalist and icon.

Jeremiah Green attends Barack Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology and participates in the school’s Spanish Immersion program.

The students in the program studied Afro-Latinos for Black History Month and each student had to do a report on an Afro-Latino figure. Green’s teacher assigned him Olympian John Carlos, who is Afro-Cuban.

Green didn’t want to give just any presentation. He invited Carlos to the school for his report. The Olympian agreed to attend and he spoke to the students Wednesday.

Carlos competed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where he earned a bronze medal in the 200 meter race. But it’s the ceremony that many remember 52 years later.

Carlos and gold medalist Tommie Smith, wearing black socks and no shoes, stood on the podium and raised their black-gloved fists in the air. The gestures were to protest racism and injustice happening back home.

The protest created much controversy at the time and led to the athletes having their medals stripped, a ban from the games and anonymous death threats.

The Olympians have received recognition for their activism in the years since then. Carlos and Smith recently were inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Marlon Walker attended the presentation. Read more here on how Green’s report went.

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