This week in Black history

* Two Black sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, used their victory ceremony in the 200-meter dash as a vehicle for a Black Power demonstration on this day. Smith, who was born June 5, 1944, in Clarksville, TX, and Carlos born in Harlem a year later, were both teammates at San Jose State University when they competed in the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City. As the national anthem played, Smith, who had won the gold medal (in a then-world record 19.83 seconds) and Carlos who won the bronze--both shoeless except for black socks on their feet--bowed their heads as they stood on their podiums and raised a black-gloved fist. The Olympic committee suspended them for their silent protest, which both symbolized the injustices that plagued Black Americans and the turbulence of the '60s. Smith and Carlos both went on to finish their education and have spent their lives teaching and coaching. Currently, Smith is head track coach at Santa Monica College and Carlos is a counselor at Palm Springs High School.

October 16, 1984--

* The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced former archbishop Desmond Tutu as the 1984 Nobel Prize recipient for category of peace, which had a cash value of $193,000. He was awarded the actual Nobel Peace Prize on December 10. He was chosen for the award for his role as a unifying figure in helping to resolve the problems of apartheid in South Africa. Tutu was born on October 7, 1931, in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 1960 and earned a bachelor of divinity in 1965 and a master of theology in 1966 from King's College in London. In 1994 Tutu published The Rainbow People: The Making of a Peaceful Revolution. He is currently archbishop emeritus of the Diocese of Cape Town, South Africa. He has received more than 25 honorary degrees from colleges and universities worldwide.