SJSU statue descriptive feature
A pair of towering black-gloved fists stand strong and proud on a quiet patch of grass just behind San Jose State's Robert D. Clark Hall.
They're attached to the 22-foot tall statues of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two Olympic gold and bronze medalists who raised their hands at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to draw attention to the plight of African-Americans.
The athlete's frozen bodies, a deep blue mosaic of ceramic tiles and fiberglass, stand like beacons of hope even on a bleak winter's day. Raised on a cement podium, they silently stand watch over the throngs of students who pass by them without a glance.
The faces are expressionless but noble, with Smith's closed eyes suggesting humility, honor and self-respect.
Their closely cropped black hair sits like a helmet atop their dignified domes.
With their sleeves rolled up, veins nearly burst from their rigid, black arms.
The massive statues speak confidently with their silhouettes, which cut honorable figures from hundreds of feet away.
Carlos's eyes are open just wide enough for the viewer to empathize with him.
Both men are barefooted with a single Puma shoe beside them.
The shoes represent African-American poverty.
A seafoam green necklace with a shiny medallion dangles from their necks.
Referencing peace, Smith carries a framed olive branch. Carlos wears a multicolored bead necklace that evokes the history of lynching in America.
Absent from the podium is co-medalist Peter Norman, who graciously made room for the world to join Smith and Carlos in solidarity.
They're attached to the 22-foot tall statues of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two Olympic gold and bronze medalists who raised their hands at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to draw attention to the plight of African-Americans.
The athlete's frozen bodies, a deep blue mosaic of ceramic tiles and fiberglass, stand like beacons of hope even on a bleak winter's day. Raised on a cement podium, they silently stand watch over the throngs of students who pass by them without a glance.
The faces are expressionless but noble, with Smith's closed eyes suggesting humility, honor and self-respect.
Their closely cropped black hair sits like a helmet atop their dignified domes.
With their sleeves rolled up, veins nearly burst from their rigid, black arms.
The massive statues speak confidently with their silhouettes, which cut honorable figures from hundreds of feet away.
Carlos's eyes are open just wide enough for the viewer to empathize with him.
Both men are barefooted with a single Puma shoe beside them.
The shoes represent African-American poverty.
A seafoam green necklace with a shiny medallion dangles from their necks.
Referencing peace, Smith carries a framed olive branch. Carlos wears a multicolored bead necklace that evokes the history of lynching in America.
Absent from the podium is co-medalist Peter Norman, who graciously made room for the world to join Smith and Carlos in solidarity.
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