In 1968, Peter Norman did something unheard of at the Olympics: He stood with his black peers against racism. Being the 60s, this was a big deal.
Peter had won the Silver medal in the 200 meters, a close race with two African-Americans, John and Tommie. As they walked up to the podium to accept their medals, Peter made a stand. He joined the two Americans in their plan to protest racial segregation. Peter wore an ‘Olympic Project for Human Rights’ badge, an organization that opposed racism in sports, standing with the other two who put their fists up in homage to the Black Panthers.
“I expected to see fear in his eyes, but instead we saw love,” said John. The backlash for Peter? He was banned from performing in the following Olympics and his career kinda went kaput after that. What is still the best running time for Australia was blacked out from the media. The Aussie government offered a pardon if he condemned his actions, but he said heck no. “I was glad I was with them,” he said. At Peter’s funeral in 2006, John and Tommie gave the eulogy, saying, “He just happened to be a white guy … between two black guys in the victory stand believing in the same thing.”
