From the inception of the modern Olympic Games, in 1896, these athletic contests have always been political. African American athletes have found varied ways to use the Olympics to advocate for social transformation. Some athletes let their athletic accomplishments speak for them. Others used the platform to demonstrate against racial injustice, display grace and beauty, and build meaningful alliances. The National Museum of African American History and Culture celebrates these Olympians.

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was the first international Olympics Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by Pierre de Coubertin, it was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April, 1896. Fourteen nations and 241 athletes (all male) took part in the games. Participants were all European, or living in Europe, with the exception of the United States team.

The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad) was celebrated in St. Louis, MO from Aug 29 until Sept 3, at what is now known as Francis Field, on the campus of Washington University. It was the first time that the Olympic Games were held outside Europe. In 1904 hurdler George Coleman Poage became the first African American to win an Olympic medal. Since then, success at the Games has been a symbol of achievement that transcended the sports world for African Americans.

Nazi leader Adolph Hitler attempted to use the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany to support his notion of Aryan racial supremacy. The 18 African American athletes from the US, including Jesse Owens, helped undermine Hitler's claims. Owens won four gold medals in track and field in a historic performance. High-paying endorsements were rare for African American athletes at the time, and Owens struggled to make a living, yet he extolled sports as a path toward social change.

The 1948 Summer Olympics, (the Games of the XIV Olympiad), was held in London, United Kingdom from 29 July to 14 August 1948. At these games, high jumper Alice Coachman became the first African American woman to win a gold medal. Sprinter Harrison Dillard won the 100 meter dash at the London Games. These two medalists and those that followed demonstrated both athletic achievement and the hope that each victory would bring the African American community closer to equality and racial justice.

The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were held in Helsinki, Finland, from July 19 to August 3, 1952. Harrison Dillard became the only man to win gold medals in sprinting and hurdling events, winning the 100-meter dash in London in 1948 and the 110-meter hurdles here in Helsinki in 1952.

The 1956 Summer Olympics, (the XVI Olympiad), held in Melbourne, Australia, were the first staged in the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania.The Women's 4x100m Relay team won Bronze. The team, comprised of Isabelle Daniels, Mae Faggs, Margaret Matthews, and Wilma Rudolph, all attended Tennessee State University. The TSU Tigerbelles sent many representatives to the Olympics over the years. During Ed Temple's 40 years coaching at Tennessee State, he mentored 40 Olympians, including 23 medal winners.

The 1968 Summer Olympics, (the XIX Olympiad), was held in Mexico City. The games were notable for a number of reasons. Bob Beamon became the first man to surpass 29 feet in the long jump. Lee Evans, Larry James, and Ron Freeman, the American medalists in the 400-meter race at the 1968 Olympics, wore black berets and raised black fists to symbolize Black Power. An even more iconic stance was taken by the winners of the 200m race. More on that at the next stop.

At the 1960 Olympics Tommie Smith and John Carlos staged an iconic protests against racial discrimination. Shoeless, they each stretched a black-gloved hand to the sky, symbolizing power and unity. Smith wore a scarf signifying blackness. Their black socks stressed poverty; and bowed heads, prayers for black Americans. Boxer George Foreman waved an American flag after his victory, a week after Smith and Carlos faced an Olympic Village ban; a gesture seen as a rejection of Black Power activism.

The 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec, CA. Dr. Nikki Franke competed as a member of the U.S. Fencing team. Twenty-year-old Morehouse College student Edwin Moses set a world record in the 400m hurdles, less than a year after taking up the event. He was also America's only male individual track gold medalist. Astonishingly, he won 105 consecutive finals races between 1977 and 1987.

The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, CA. Carl Lewis equaled the 1936 performance of Jesse Owens by winning four gold medals, in the 100, 200, and 4X100m relays; and long jump. Edwin Moses won gold in the 400m hurdles. Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing were on the team that won the gold medal in basketball. Competing in her first Olympics, Jackie Joyner-Kersee earned a silver medal in the heptathlon. Her older brother, Al, also won the gold medal in the triple jump.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner set an Olympic record in the 100m dash and a still-standing world record in the 200m dash to capture gold in both. She added a gold in the 4X100 relay and a silver in the 4X400. Boxer Roy Jones Jr. dominated his opponents, never losing a single round en route to the final, where he controversially lost a 3-2 decision to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun, despite pummeling him, and landing 86 punches to Park's 32.

The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, was celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada, between February 13 and 28, 1988. Seba Johnson was the first black woman to compete in Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics. Debi Thomas won the bronze medal in women’s figure skating to become the first African American to win a medal in the Winter Olympics.

The 1992 Summer Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain from 25 July to 9 August 1992. In basketball, the admittance of NBA players led to the formation of the "Dream Team" of the United States, featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and other NBA stars. Prior to 1992, only European and South American professionals were allowed to compete, while the Americans used college players. The Dream Team won the gold medal and was inducted as a unit into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta; the 2nd African American to do so after Rafer Johnson. Both saw their athletic achievements and fame as a way to improve race relations. Johnson, an integrationist, sought to build alliances with white Americans. Ali, the 1960s-era separatist, opposed integration, offering forceful critiques of the nation's racism and interventionist foreign policy. Michael Johnson became the first man to win both the 200 and 400m dash.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT, Vonetta Flowers and Jill Bakken won the gold medal in the two-woman bobsled. Flowers is one of a handful of African American women who have ventured into sports that traditionally have included few black competitors. The successes of Flo Hyman in volleyball, Dominique Dawes in gymnastics, Debi Thomas in figure-skating, and Vonetta Flowers in bobsledding demonstrated the diversity of African American women's engagement with elite sports.

The 2012 Summer Olympics were held in London, United Kingdom. Gymnast Gabby Douglas became the first African American woman to win the gold medal in one of the most high-profile events: the Women's Individual All-Around Competition. She also became the first American woman to win gold in both the all-around and team competitions at the same Olympic Games. The success of Gabby Douglas represents the tradition of African American achievement at the Games.