Dr. Harry Edwards stands about 6-feet, 7-inches and weighs well over 200 pounds. He shaves his head clean and grows a white beard that dangles well past his chin. Edwards, a renown academic and activist, often wears dark sun glasses, even indoors.
But on Monday, Aug. 1, while seated on a panel discussing the Olympic Project for Human Rights with former Olympic medal-winning sprinters Tommy Smith, John Carlos, and Lee Evans, Edwards authoritative facade vanished. While talking about Smith and Carlos’ courageous stand for human rights during the 1968 Olympic Games, Edwards head dropped to his chest and tears rolled down his proud face.