Tommie Smith Youth Initiative

The Tommie Smith Youth Initiative calls attention to the urgent need to prevent childhood obesity by providing developmentally appropriate physical activity and nutrition education for Louisville children. Childhood obesity is pervasive and our children are not reaching their potential. We feel that physical activity programs can help nurture and empower young people to become their best.

The Tommie Smith Youth Initiative is now closely aligned with our work in the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities grant, as well as the work of our partners, YMCA of Greater Louisville and Metro Parks. We are working together toward the shared goal of getting as many kids as possible having fun, being active, and eating healthy foods.

We’ve moved away from a track team concept and toward a physical activity and nutrition education model for elementary school children who attend summer camps here in Louisville. We’re excited about the new model and our work with the YMCA and Metro Parks, who have access to hundreds of children, and plans to engage them in exercise that will improve their fitness. These programs will also be inclusive of children with varying degrees of ability to make participation as broadly accessible as possible.

Tommie Smith won the Gold Medal in the 200 meters at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.  Mr. Smith has organized track and field meets as well track clubs for youth in Oakland, Calif. and Paris France.  Smith gained worldwide prominence when he and teammate, bronze medal winner John Carlos, raised gloved fists during the medal ceremony to protest racial discrimination in America.  The photo of this nonviolent demonstration became one of the iconic images of the 1960s and 70s.

The Tommie Smith initiative is an initiative under the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement supported by physical activity funding from the Kentucky Department for Public Health. For more information call 502-574-6222 or email us.