Olympic winner, acclaimed sportswriter to visit GVSU

The 200-meter bronze medal winner at the 1968 Summer Olympics, along with an acclaimed sportswriter and author will kick off Grand Valley State University’s Black History Month on February 2.

John Carlos, known for raising his fist toward the sky on the platform at the 1968 Summer Olympics, will discuss his experiences as an African-American athlete and Olympic winner. Carlos’ Black power salute caused his suspension from the U.S. team and Olympic Village for life. National sportswriter Dave Zirin, host of the radio show “Edge of Sports” and sports editor for The Nation magazine, and Carlos will discuss their recently published book, The John Carlos Story: The Sports Movement That Changed the World.

Not Just a Game: Politics and Power in American Sports
Thursday, February 2
4 p.m.
Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center, Allendale Campus
The event is free and open to the public.

The event marks the university’s first “Intersections” program, which is a series of events hosted by Grand Valley’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, Women’s Center and LGBT Resource Center. The series will provide opportunities for the campus community to look at the world through multiple dimensions including race, gender, sexual orientation, and class status among others. Grand Valley’s Sports Leadership Club is co-sponsoring the event.

“Athletics highly influences culture and it is imperative that we take a critical look at its role in our lives,” said Marlene Kowalski-Braun, assistant vice provost for Student Affairs at Grand Valley. “Most importantly, we know that participants will walk away with a renewed sense of how our individual actions can make a collective difference in the world.”

For more information, contact the Women’s Center at Grand Valley at (616) 331-2748.