Tommie Smith and John Carlos finished first and third respectively in the 200 meter dash at the 1968 Olympics. As they received their medals, both sprinters wore black socks with no shoes, symbolizing black poverty. Smith wore a black scarf to symbolize black pride. [...] During the national anthem, Smith and Carlos lowered their heads and gave a black power salute. Smith and Carlos were booed by the crowd and were ostracized by many athletes in America due to their actions. However, history remembers them as bold heroes who took a stand against injustice. [...]

Muhammad Ali changed history and inspired countless people when he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. [...] He nearly lost his entire career. Considered the greatest boxer ever, Ali was also one of the most high-profile African American activists of the 20th century. [...] Ali repeatedly spoke out against the mistreatment of African-Americans, serving as a positive role model for blacks at a time when the community needed one. He served as a hero and ambassador for not just African-Americans, but Muslims as well. [...]

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.