Sylvio cator biography summary

On the afternoon of Aug. His interest was in their guest, Sylvio Cator. In a few hours, the Haitian Olympian would trade his gray trousers, gray shirt and tie for a tracksuit.

After making his Olympic début in , Cator became a Haitian sporting hero when he won a silver medal in the long jump.

Cator had attained international fame during a long athletic career that included an Olympic silver medal and a world record in the long jump. But he was much more than an athlete, as his tour of the United States would attest. For now, he greeted Monroe with a smile and settled in for their interview. He wanted to know what the former world-record holder liked to do off the track.

More than anything, he was curious about what Cator thought of the United States, which denied basic rights to its Black citizens and had occupied Haiti for almost two decades. Cator responded to what were difficult questions for an official representative of the Haitian government. He steered the conversation away from racism, but was firm on at least one point.

At the Games, held in the twilight of the first U. He strengthened connections between Haitians and African Americans, defended Haiti, and protested racism and imperialism in subtle but perceptible ways. While Owens, Carlos and Smith have retained their fame, Cator has fallen into undeserved obscurity. Few outside Haiti know his name.

Yet, at a time when protests against racism and state violence are staples of U.