Would You Wear These?
Puma released a limited edition shoe to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Olympian Tommy Smith’s defiant “Black Power” raised fist at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Smith came back to the states and was ostracized and roundly criticized for his public display of defiance.
The shoes come in black suede with a pattern of tiny “Black Fists” on them.
Would you wear these shoes? And would you be offended if a company Commemorated the KKK with sneakers with little tiny white hoods on them?
I’m just sayin’ why would Puma bring this back up and inflame prejudices all over again?
Defiant Olympic Gold medalist Tommy Smith (Mexico City 1968) and his family allowed a photographer to be present as they celebrated the Inauguration of America’s 44th President (America’s 1st Black President). 40 years later folks still remember “The Black Fist”. Source
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48 Responses to “Would You Wear These?”
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HELL MF YEAH ILL WEAR ‘EM….and “say it loud”!!
Foolishness sales!
I would. But I’m militant like that.
But then again, I like what they represent. ;o)
I mean shyt, I thought the Timbaland boots were still sporting the TREE….and we can’t have a fist??? kill dat shyt, how the hell is it foolishness for us to be proud of what people have died to overcome???
I would wear them, and it makes a statement… him putting his fist up is NOT THE SAME as the KKKillas that lynched hundreds of blacks, burned crosses on lawns and spreading the hatered that has and continues to plague the south….
Black Power raise that fist high and proud
SANDRA - IS THAT THE SAME FIST FROM THE AFRO PIC??
I like ‘em. Puma is always a good choice kicks-wise.
I think they are cute I would wear them!!!!!!!
I like puma I especially love my pink & white..
I wouldn’t mind wearing them if the black on black crime tremendously decreased.
Track legends Tommie Smith and John Carlos are heroes. What they did was powerful and something to be proud of. I can’t believe you compare it to if a company would make some KKK sneakers. That doesn’t make any sense at all.
A classic picture
http://chrismsports.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/tommie_smith_john_carlos3.jpg
BLACKBARBIE404 Says:
SANDRA - IS THAT THE SAME FIST FROM THE AFRO PIC??
********************************************
No. The afro pick came out before Mr. Smith raised his fist at the Olympics. You probably weren’t born yet, so you didn’t know that.
@ SANDRA
NOPE. WASN’T BORN YET!
LOL
THEN AGAIN, I THINK I WAS CAUSE MAMA NEM HAD ONE. I USED TO RAKE MY DADDY HEAD WITH IT!
BB…you know you are a youngin’!!! LOL
Sandra you are a fool. Since when did folk who pump their fists go around lynching people. You need to learn American history
@ BK - LOL
O. I GUESS I WAS TARDY FOR THE PARTY!!!
I think comparing this to the KKK is apples and oranges. IMO, the Black Power came along because black folks were tired of being oppressed and wnated everyone know that is was okay and RIGHT for us to be proud of being black. When have black people tried to enslave other races??
I’d rock them - Sandra, whats your favorite drink? - I think it would take the edge off of you today and help you relax you - Its really not that serious!
Thank You! @ Bk2atl
You allowed the comments to be on this time, WHOA.
i would wear them. let the kkk get their sneaker on too. i would have a problem w/confederate flag sneaks though.
@free…they don’t wear sneakers…only sheets.
Barbe - you know not to be Tardy for the Party, what is wrong with you chile’?
yeah i would wear them but then again imma kicks kollector
Ya damn right I’d wear them. Whites hoods compared to Proud Black Fists. There is no comparison. NONE!
You can’t compare a black persons pride in their race and culture to the hate and destruction of the KKK. That’s not even apples and oranges that just doesn’t make any sense.
Yep I’d wear tham and I buy some for my kids to wear too.
Not only would I be wearing them, but I will hunting those bad boys down and getting a pair. Thanks for the heads up. I’m sorry that you compare the civil rights movement to the KKK, but maybe it’s an American thing. You wouldn’t understand.
they 85.00 on ebay *pulls out visa*
they go nice with my “My President is Black” shirt
Those kicks go hard!!! I would def rock’em
Yes! Absolutely I’d wear them… Unlike some “blacks” I don’t have an adversion to anything in support of Black people and our collective history and struggle.
So yes, I’d not only rock them, but I’m also getting a pair to keep fresh with they photo I have of the famous picture…
Unlike many “black” people, some of us love Black people and being Black…
I would wear them, they’re hot and they represent Black pride. Being proud of your race is not the same as hatred of another. The KKK represents hatred and ignorance. There is absolutely no comparison. smh at you Sandra.
Personally, I am a Nike girl but I’d wear them simply because of what they represent.
Morn’n SR fam…..
Glad to see we’re on the same page…. COS HELLS YEAH I’D ROCK THEM JOINTS…..ON GP!
(I stared @ them for a minute cause they’re not somethin’ I’d normally wear….but ummmmmmmm yeah!)
Sandra, you really believe this will cause the same type of controversy???? I suppose for those who were salty about it back then…..but I personally never felt anything LESS than pride WHENEVER I see a picture of or hear someone speak about the BLACK FISTS raised @ the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City! I can’t imagine why WE would have a problem with it & for anyone else….I refer them to Dr. Andrew Manis’ “When Are We Going to Get Over It?” article….LMAO
Yep, I’d wear them, and even if I didn’t, I’d buy them to help support the statement…. but I’m for my folks too. That was a powerful move, and it forever changed us. That would be one item worth buying, unlike some of these other items we buy made for us.
i’d rock them. i see we made history again….youngest black coach to win the superbowl….YEAH BABY!! it is our time right now!
in sandra’s defense, a lot of people say the kkk represents white pride. however, they have gone about expressing that in a violent way. i think sandra has a bit of merit because this has been an ongoing discussion that we are allowed to express black pride but white people (kkk aside) are not allowed to express white pride without being called racist. if you replace the kkk with a sneak that simply says, for instance, “white pride”, how would you feel about that? just a point of discussion, not taking any sides. also, if we really want to bring together the races and be one nation under the new prez, like sandra says, do we talk out of the sides of our neck by embracing and rocking a sneak like this? can we have it both ways?
^@free, good point, I couldn’t have said it any better.
Free, you speak a valid point, but you have to remember where we are, and how their will is constantly forced upon us. Now if we were somewhere else, we wouldn’t have to be so outwardly pround about our heritage. And I say that carefully, because even at the ’somewhere else’ they are trying to force their will upon us.
39ReadTheBlog Says:
Their will is constantly forced upon us.
———————–
How?
Wear em like a champ! ^5 to puma, why you say? Cause once again the world wants us to win and celebrate silently and some genious correlated the two!!
41keely107 Says:
the world wants us to ‘win’ and celebrate silently….
————
Naw, I guess we should just gloat as usual. Then when we supposedly ‘lose’ we should have no problem when they ‘gloat’ too.
@Amulet:
Havent been having a problem, 43 Presidents now. Why does it have to be gloating because you are happy? Is it gloating when you celebrate a b-day and say Happy B-day, is it gloating when you say Merry Christmas?
@Keely, gloating is like when kids say, “nan nan nie nan na” about getting something someone wouldn’t let them have.
To me, it sounds like that when they/we have to go back into history and bring up something in the past during a new time of history. That’s not moving forward at all if we keep walking around wearing all of the past on our shoulders cause we have some so called ‘victory’ today. I say be happy, feel it inside, and keep moving forward as people.
Hell yeah, I’d cop those and wear them proudly. Why is it wrong to acknowledge what our forebears went through? If it wasn’t for them, Mr. Obama wouldn’t be our 44th President.
It’s okay to have racial pride. There are many shoulders we’re standing on. This is a testament to our strength as a people and how much we’ve accomplished in spite of every conceivable barrier there is thrown in our way. More of us need to know our history — acknowledge it, embrace it, celebrate it and create it.
@Amulet:
Letting it bother you is also like a kid. To each his own, you keep it inside, Im wearing the shoes, the shirt, got the calendar up and we that do have the right to so….get over it (anybody opposed).
@keely, yeah, to each his own, it don’t make me none, just wanted to explain my views about the shoes.
@Free…The KKK and Aryan Nation in their own warped way do represent white pride, BUT it is at the deteriment of everyone else. They ONLY consider whites to be people. Everyone else is less than or subhuman.
Black pride doesn’t take anything away from any other culture or ethnicity. It simply celebrates and elevates black culture, heritage and history. That is the fundamental difference between the two.
FYI…many white ethnics (Jewish folks, Italian folks and Irish folks) celebrate their culture, BUT not at the detriment and demise of other groups. They aren’t advocating that blacks and other minorities be annihilated, enslaved, imprisoned or killed which is what the KKK and Aryan Nation advocate.