On October 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships.
In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. Cowritten with Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient Derrick Barnes and illustrated with bold and muscular artwork from Emmy Award–winning illustrator Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand! paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today.---from the publisher
208 pages 978-1324003908 Ages 13-18
Keywords: graphic memoir, autobiography, prejudice and racism, African American and Black nonfiction, African American author, courage, racial injustice, social justice, athlete, Olympics, 20th century, American history, 13 year old, 14 year old, 15 year old
Editor's note: National Book Award Finalist 2022
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In 1968 Tommie Smith and his teammate, John Carlos, stepped up to receive their Olympic medals and as the U.S. national anthem played, the two men raised their black-gloved fists high in the air to protest the injustices of Black lives in the United States.
This inspiring graphic memoir takes us into the life of Tommie Smith beginning on a farm in Texas where he grew up, one of 14 children in the family, to the moment when he summoned his courage in the international spotlight to raise his fist and then beyond to share the repercussions in the years that followed.
A powerful, inspiring graphic memoir.
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
