Starmiler, "longish" - an understatement - thanks for an excellent post. I hope you get the book published.
Since I was just nine at the time, my awareness of the situation was pretty limited. I have a vague feeling of being positive towards the Olympics and thus, unjustifiably agreeing with Brundage's position at the time. As I matured, I came to accept their act, though perhaps grudgingly. Last year, I read Smith's book, Silent Gesture, and the conditions he grew up in, first in Texas?, then in California, were appalling. The result, I have an inkling of understanding of what they was battling. The act was measured, non-violent and spoke volumes - in my opinion, if there was any flaw, it was the choice of the closed fist salute, only because of its close ties to the violence associated with the Black Panthers.
And to the guy who called them "militant racist jerks" - they were militant, it might be argued that on a few occasions in the aftermath they behaved like jerks, but I have trouble viewing them as racist, except by those fearful of the level of unrest extant in the country at that time.