Palo Alto High School's sports news magazine

Viking Magazine

Palo Alto High School's sports news magazine

Viking Magazine

Palo Alto High School's sports news magazine

Viking Magazine

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Man behind “Black Power” salute visits Paly

Dr. Harry Edwards responds to a question during an hour-long interview with Social Studies teacher David Rapaport Tuesday Feb. 21.
Dr. Harry Edwards responds to a question during an hour-long interview with Social Studies teacher David Rapaport Tuesday Feb. 21.

Dr. Harry Edwards, an African-American sports sociologist and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley gave an interview at Palo Alto High School this Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 21.

Edwards (age 69), founder of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) that protested racial discrimination in sports and inspired the famous “Black Power” salute protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, was invitited to the classroom of social studies teacher David Rapaport for an interview before roughly 40 students and five faculty.

Edwards commented on a wide range of race-related topics which included: the occupy movement, affirmative action, abortion, the Obama presidency, same-sex marriage, race in sports, and controversial comments surrounding Jeremy Lin.

Addressing an array of racially charged issues, Edwards, who devoted the early stages of his career to the fight for racial equality for African-Americans as both athletes and front-office holders in professional sports,  continuously stressed the need to constantly combat the racial “social dynamics  [that are so] deeply rooted in today’s society.”

Senior Tremaine Kirkman, one of the students who attended the interview, assessed the value of Edwards’ inspirational visit in an e-mail interview.

“I want to devote my life to changing and helping others just like he has, and to see the end product, how fulfilling it can be, how much you can accomplish, and how deep you can become, was simply inspiring,” he wrote. “Listening to him will definitely drive me to be a better person and leader.”

Gold medalist Tommie Smith (center) and Bronze medalist John Carlos (right) giving the infamous "Black Power" salute on the podium after the 1968 Summer Olympics 200m dash. Both men including Silver medalist Peter Norman of Australia (left), are wearing Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) badges. The protest was inspired by interviewee Dr. Harry Edwards, the founder of OPHR. Photo courtesy of Newton grafitti (creative commons)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor’s note: The above story was last updated Feb. 23nd at 2:13 p.m..

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About the Contributor
Kevin Dukovic, Editor-in-Chief
Kevin is a senior and joined The Viking staff at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.  He has an older brother (Brandon) who was also on staff and a younger sister (Anna) who is now a sophomore at Paly.  Kevin is a huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Yankees, seeing as how he grew up on the east coast, and enjoys playing pick-up sports games with his friends in his free time.

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