Forty-nine years ago this month (August), the 1960 Olympic Games began.  The social and political changes that were becoming evident were all showcased in the 1960 Olympic Games at the classic venue of Rome, Italy.  If you want the complete story I suggest you get David Maranisss book œRome 1960.  A pulitzer prize winner for two other novels, tells the story brilliantly.

What I am doing in this short piece is giving you what I remember then and where I see we are now.  There were some big milestones in 1960.  The question I have entering into the 50th year since is has anything changed?

At the Opening Ceremony, the U.S. contingent was led into the stadium by a phenomenal 63 athlete. Rafer Johnson.  Did I mention he was a phenomenal BLACK athlete?  In 1960, this was a big deal.

His sport was track and field in an event called the decathlon.  This challenging two day event includes ten events, five per day.  Rafer was a slight favorite over his UCLA teammate, C.K. Yang representing Taiwan which was a whole other story in itself.

Rafer had been the favorite in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia but an injury prevented him from competing.  Why do I remember all of this?

Growing up where I did in the great San Joaquin Valley of California, you would have to have been brain-dead to not have been aware of the Olympic decathlon.  A mere 25 miles or so from our orange grove was  Tulare, CA,  home of Bob Mathias, winner of the 1948 and 1952 decathlon titles.  I was in awe for the first one and had every confidence that the second was a natural.  About 25 miles north of Tulare is Kingsburg, CA the home of the Johnson family as in Rafer and Jimmy (Hall of Fame cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers and the best player at his position I ever saw. The last five years he was in the league no one would even attempt a pass in his area).

So, lets go back to 1960 and Rome.  Rafer was the perfect captain for our Olympic team.  He was one of the most respected athletes in the world.  Perfect for the the rest of he team.  He was black.  Perfect for the politicians to refute the charges of œracist capitalism.

Las, but not least, Rafer was and is a great human being.  He was superbly trained by his mother and he has always brought great presence and dignity to everything he has done since.  A great example is his work with the Special Olympics over the years.  As perfect as he was for the job of Captain, would he have been selected as a human being without those other agendas?

1960 is before Selma.  It is before prominence came to Martin Luther King.  It is way before Barack Obama.  It was the time of the Cold War, the lie of amateurism and sexism.

The 1960 Olympics provided the first world stage for women and the stars on that stage, Wilma Rudolph and the Tigerbelles of Tennessee State University.  Womens track and field in the U.S. was stifled by what was œappropriate for women and what was not.  Wilma Rudolph put a big crack in those stifling notions.

Wilma was probably THE star of the 1960 Olympics as far as the athletes and the fans were concerned.  Her beauty, grace and personality were captivating.   This former polio victim won gold in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and anchored the winning 400 meter relay team, all Tigerbelles.  Her other contributions are legend.  (Read the book)

When Wilma returned to segregated Clarksville, TN she was informed that the town was going to have a parade in her honor.  She immediately said yes with this one condition.  The parade was for every citizen of Clarksville and could be watched from any vantage point whether they were black or white.  The mayor agreed.  No segregation.  It was a start.

Rafer and Wilma opened some doors for many talented athletes to walk through for both fame and fortune.  I do, however, have a big concern.  In our political correctness have we merely driven racism underground?  How about the ordinary black man or woman?  How are they regarded.

I know things have improved.  Beware of complacency.  Lets not get close to the finish line.  Lets go well beyond.   Its really not about race, anyway.  It is about being poor.  Does poverty really have to exist?

One last hero.  The first black man to represent his country, Ethiopia,  Abibe Bikela.  Running barefoot all the way he handily won the marathon.  In 1964, he repeated.  This time with shoes.