Dr. Harry Edwards, sociologist, civil rights activist and author of The Revolt of the Black Athlete will offer remarks to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Olympic Protest. Dr. Edwards has been at the center of the intersections of sports, race, and politics since the early 1960s. By creating the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) in 1967, which organized to protest against racial segregation and injustice, and racism in general, in the United States and around the world, Edwards inspired the iconic salute from Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Over the past four decades, Edwards has continued this work through both his teaching and advocacy. Recently, Edwards has advised professional sports teams and individual players, helping them to confront these issues at the intersection of race, politics, and sports.

In conversation with Howard Bryant, senior writer for ESPN and author of The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism, Dr. Edwards will discuss current issues of race and political protest in sports and society.

This event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and the Departments of History, Sociology and Economics. Additional sponsorship provided by the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality, Temple University Libraries, Klein College of Media and Communications, Temple University Athletics, The Charles L. Blockson Collection, and the Honors Program.

For more information on the history of the 1968 Olympic Protest and the connection to recent protests, check out: Jere Longman, "Kaepernick's Knee and Olympic Fists Are Linked by History"