IE’s Civil Rights Institute Opening With Words From Iconic US Athlete | Civil Rights Institute Inland Southern California

By Toni McAlliaster, Patch Staff
Photo: AP File

Dr. Tommie Smith, now 78, was photographed raising a gloved fist for racial justice during the 1968 Olympic Games.

RIVERSIDE, CA — October 6, 2022 — A U.S. Olympic track-and-field athlete who raised his fist for racial justice during the 1968 summer games will be the keynote speaker at the opening of the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California this month in Riverside County.

Dr. Tommie Smith, now 78 — who set a world record and earned a gold medal in the men’s 200-meter sprint at the Mexico City Olympics — will also spend part of the opening evening signing copies of his new novel based on his life, “Victory! Stand. Raising my Fist for Justice” (Cellar Door Books).