DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — One man’s strength to achieve a gold medal during the 1968 Olympics is now working to prevent children from losing their lives.
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Former Olympian Tommie Smith and his wife have created a non-profit dedicated to stopping youth violence.
“My life was threatened more than once, but this was something that had to be done,” Smith told Channel 2’s Lori Wilson.
Smith won the gold medal in the 200-meter dash in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Smith took the podium, raising his fist in the air alongside the bronze medal winner John Carlos. The image became iconic moment in the Civil Rights movement.
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It was Smith’s way of speaking up for human rights around the world. Over the last decade, Smith has been using his platform through the Tommie Smith Youth Initiative.
Smith’s wife, Delois Smith, says her husband’s legacy is about faith and courage in the face of adversity, even without words. She hopes her husband’s image is an example of young people today.
“We wanted them to know that you can be something you can do something,” said Delois, who is the mother of singer Montell Jordan.
Smith says he is heartbroken by the violence among young people today. He told Channel 2 that his whole life has been about standing up for people, so they can see the best in themselves.
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