>> YOU REMEMBER BACK IN 1968 THERE WAS A POWERFUL MOMENT IN
THE OLYMPICS WHEN TOMMIE SMITH AND JOHN CARLOS WON GOLD AND
BRONZE IN THE 200 M RACE IN MEXICO CITY, AND THEY PUT ON
BLACK GLOVES AND RAISED THEIR HANDS IN PROTEST FOR WHAT WAS
HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY.
IN THAT YEAR OF COURSE BOBBY
KENNEDY AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
HAD BEEN ASSASSINATED, AND
THEY WANTED TO SPEAK OUT FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WERE BEATEN DOWN,
FOR EQUALITY, AND THEY ALSO WANTED TO SPEAK OUT FOR ALL
THOSE WHO LIVE IN POVERTY.
THEY DID NOT HAVE THEIR SHOES ON, YOU
CAN'T SEE IT IN THAT PICTURE, BUT THAT IS WHY THEY TOOK THEIR
SHOES OFF, IN PROTEST OF THAT AS WELL.
BUT WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT
HAVE NOTICED IS THE PERSON NOBODY EVER NOTICED IN THAT
PICTURE, PETER NORMAN.
HE IS AN AUSTRALIAN, AND HE CAME IN
SECOND THAT YEAR IN THE OLYMPICS, A HUGE UPSET.
THEY DID
NOT THINK HE WOULD FINISH IN THE TOP THREE AT ALL, AND HE RAN AN
AMAZING RACE.
IN FACT, HE WAS SO FAST THAT DAY THAT HIS RECORD IN
THE 200 M STILL STANDS AS THE AUSTRALIAN RECORD TO THIS DAY.
HE RAN IT BACK IN 1968.
ISN'T THAT AMAZING?
SO WHAT DID NORMAN
DO?
HE DIDN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING, HE DID NOT HAVE THE
BLACK GLOVE ON, HE DIDN'T SEEM TO SUPPORT THEM, RIGHT?
WRONG.
THIS IS THE FASCINATING STORY OF PETER NORMAN.
IT TURNS OUT HE IS
THE ONE WHO GAVE THEM THE GLOVES IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THEY SAID WE
ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR.
HE'S LIKE, WHY DON'T BOTH OF YOU WEAR THEM,
JUST WHERE ONE APIECE.
THEY ARE LIKE, DO YOU WANT TO
PARTICIPATE?
HE'S LIKE, ABSOLUTELY, WHAT CAN I DO?
THERE
WAS A PATCH THEY USED TO HAVE BACK THEN CALLED THE OLYMPIC
PROJECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.
WHAT THAT STOOD FOR IS BEING ON THE
SIDE OF A QUALITY, NO MATTER WHERE YOU WERE.
HE WORE THAT, HE
DIDN'T HAVE IT BUT AN OLYMPIC ROWER FROM THE U.S. TEAM, WHEN
HE FOUND OUT A WHITE AUSTRALIAN WAS GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS
PROTEST, HE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, HE THOUGHT THAT WAS FANTASTIC.
AND HE GAVE HIM THE PATCH TO WEAR THAT NIGHT, AND HE DID WEAR IT
ALONG WITH CARLOS AND SMITH.
WHY IS THAT SO AMAZING?
YOU MIGHT
NOT KNOW THIS OR REMEMBER IT, BUT BACK THEN AUSTRALIA HAD
APARTHEID, LIKE SOUTH AFRICA DID.
AND IN A LOT OF WAYS THAT
APARTHEID WAS QUITE VICIOUS.
IT HAD HEAVY RESTRICTIONS ON
NONWHITE IMMIGRATION, DISCRIMINATORY LAWS AGAINST
ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA, AND EVEN FORCED ADOPTIONS OF
NATIVE CHILDREN TO WHITE FAMILIES.
AND BASICALLY BY
WEARING A BADGE AND BEING ON THAT PODIUM, THEY THOUGHT THAT
HE WAS COLLABORATING WITH CARLOS AND SMITH.
AND CARLOS AND SMITH
DESCRIBE IT THIS WAY.
WHEN THEY TALKED TO NORMAN ABOUT IT,
CARLOS SAID, I EXPECTED TO SEE FEAR IN NORMAN'S EYES, BUT
INSTEAD WE SAW LOVE.
NOW, IN AUSTRALIA, THERE WERE
CONSEQUENCES.
>>SO JUST TO BE CLEAR ON THAT, HE MADE IT ONTO THE TEAM FAIR
AND SQUARE, 13 DIFFERENT TIMES FOR THE 200 AND FIVE TIMES FOR THE 100.
THEY SAID THAT IS TRUE, BUT YOU STOOD WITH THOSE BLACK GUYS SO
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE TEAM.
FILMS FOR ACTION CONTINUES --
>>
JOHN CARLOS CONTINUED TO SAY, IF WE WERE GETTING BEAT UP, AND
THEY WERE -- THERE WERE A LOT OF CONSEQUENCES FOR CARLOS AND
SMITH WHEN THEY CAME BACK, THEY WERE THROWN OUT OF OUR OLYMPIC
COMMITTEE AND OUR TEAMS, STRIPPED OF THEIR MEDALS --
CARLOS SAYS --
>> NOW, EVEN AS WE CELEBRATE CARLOS AND SMITH IN THIS
COUNTRY, FOR EXAMPLE SAN JOSE UNIVERSITY HAS A STATUE UP OF
THAT MOMENT, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT STATUE FOR A SECOND.
THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL, I DON'T MEAN TO PICK ON THEM, BUT NORMAN
IS COMPLETELY LEFT OUT OF THE STATUE.
HE'S NOT EVEN THERE,
NOBODY EVEN EVER TALKS ABOUT HIM.
WELL, IT TURNS OUT THAT
NORMAN COULD HAVE SAVED HIMSELF, AND HERE IS A FURTHER
EXPLANATION.
REMEMBER, HIS LIFE IS RUINED, THEY WON'T LET HIM
BACK IN THE OLYMPICS, THEY WON'T LET HIM DO ANYTHING RELATED TO
THE OLYMPICS, HE HAS TO WORK IN A BUTCHER SHOP.
THERE IS ONE WAY OUT.
>> THAT IS THE 2000 SYDNEY
OLYMPIC GAMES.
EVEN THOUGH HE
WAS ONE OF THEIR LITERALLY GREATEST ATHLETES IN AUSTRALIAN
HISTORY, THEY DID NOT LET HIM MARCH.
LET ALONE GIVING HIM A
JOB.
THEY DID NOT LET HIM MARCH IN THE 2000 SYDNEY OLYMPICS
UNDER THE BANNER OF AUSTRALIA, AND IT WAS WELL AFTER APARTHEID
IS GONE, THE OLD SYSTEM IS BEATEN DOWN, THEY ARE PAST IT,
BUT THEY STILL HELD A GRUDGE.
HOW DARE YOU NOT DENOUNCE THOSE
TWO BLACK GUYS?
IN 2006, NORMAN DIED UNFORTUNATELY NO BETTER OFF
FINANCIALLY IN HIS LIFE, AND WHEN HE WAS BEING BURIED, HIS
TWO OLD FRIENDS, JOHN CARLOS AND TOMMIE SMITH, WENT TO HIS
FUNERAL AND CARRIED HIS CASKET.
FINALLY IN THE YEAR 2012, THE
AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT PASSED A LAW SAYING:
>> LOOK, WHAT EVERYBODY DID THERE WAS BRAVE, HEROIC, AND WE
KNOW ABOUT JOHN CARLOS AND TOMMIE SMITH AND THEY ARE
RIGHTFULLY CELEBRATED NOW.
BUT LET'S NOT FORGET PETER NORMAN,
WHO WAS ONE OF THE QUIET HEROES, AND THAT HAPPENS IN ALL OF THESE
MOVIES.
THERE ARE THE GUYS WE CELEBRATE AND THE GUYS WE KNOW
FOR VERY, VERY GOOD REASONS, BUT THERE ARE THE QUIET HEROES WHO
SOMETIMES SUFFER ALONE, AND IN SOME WAYS ARE JUST AS HEROIC AT
LEAST BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT CELEBRATED.
HE WAS NEVER
CELEBRATED IN HIS LIFE, AND HE DIED BEING OSTRACIZED FROM HIS
OWN COUNTRY.
AND HE TOOK ALL OF THAT ON FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON:
BECAUSE HE WANTED TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
AND WHEN THEY ASKED
HIM, HEY, ARE YOU MAD AT CARLOS AND SMITH FOR TAKING AWAY YOUR
MOMENT?
YOU BROKE THIS RECORD FOR YOUR OWN COUNTRY, YOU RAN AN
AMAZING RACE, AND ALL THE NEWS WAS ABOUT THEM?
AND HE ANSWERED,
I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN PROUDER TO BE PART OF THAT MOMENT.
UNFORTUNATELY, HE TOOK THAT TO HIS GRAVE.
THERE ARE GREAT
HEROES IN THE WORLD.
SOME WE KNOW ABOUT, AND SOME WE DON'T.
THANK YOU, PETER NORMAN.