Barbara Smith Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara Smith

Born	(1946-11-16) November 16, 1946 (age 78) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Independent scholar, writer, activist
Education	Mount Holyoke College (BA) University of Pittsburgh (MA)
Literary movement	Black feminism
Relatives	Beverly Smith (sister)

Barbara Smith (born November 16, 1946) is an American writer, activist, and scholar. She has played a very important part in the Black feminist movement in the United States. Since the 1970s, she has worked as a scholar, activist, writer, and publisher of ideas about Black feminism.

She has also taught at many colleges and universities for 25 years. Smith's writings have appeared in many publications. These include The New York Times Book Review and Ms.. She has a twin sister, Beverly Smith, who is also an activist and writer.

Early Life and Education
Later Life and Work
See also

Early Life and Education

Growing Up

Barbara Smith and her twin sister, Beverly, were born on November 16, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio. Their mother, Hilda Beall Smith, worked as a nurse's aide. The girls' grandmother was their main caregiver.

In 1956, when Barbara and Beverly were nine, their mother passed away. The girls continued to live with their grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Even though the family did not have a lot of money, education was very important to them. Her grandmother and aunts were well-educated. Barbara's mother was the only one in her family to get a college degree.

Barbara's family loved to read and always stressed the importance of learning. Barbara did not know her father, Gartrell Smith. He and her mother separated before the twins were born.

Family Roots and Challenges

Barbara's family came from rural Georgia. They were part of the Great Migration. This was when millions of African-American families moved from the South to the North. They wanted to escape unfair treatment and find better jobs.

Barbara sees herself as a Southern woman. She believes her family's difficult experiences with racism in Georgia helped her become an activist. She also remembers facing racism in the North. Despite these challenges, both Barbara and Beverly did very well in school.

School and College

Barbara and her sister started elementary school in Cleveland. They were selected for a special school for talented students. However, their family decided not to move them after their mother's death. They attended Alexander Hamilton Jr. High School and John Adams High School.

In high school, Smith took advanced classes and scored high on tests. She got into Mount Holyoke College in 1965. But she faced challenges because of racism there. She transferred to the New School in New York City for a year. She returned to Mount Holyoke for her last year and graduated in 1969.

After college, Smith earned a master's degree in literature from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. In Pittsburgh, she became active in the Women's movement and the Gay Liberation movement.

In 2015, the University at Albany gave Smith an honorary doctorate degree.

Early Activism

Smith became aware of social issues at a young age. She grew up in a society where Black people were treated unfairly. In high school, she and her sister joined civil rights protests. These protests focused on making schools equal for everyone. Smith volunteered for the Cleveland chapter of CORE. She met civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer.

In 1965, Smith started at Mount Holyoke College. She was one of the few Black students there. She joined a group that protested the Vietnam War. During a year in New York City, she also protested at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Later, Smith attended a meeting of the National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO). This inspired her to become an activist again. She settled in Boston after getting her master's degree. In 1975, she, her sister Beverly, and Demita Frazier started a Boston chapter of the NBFO. This group focused on helping poor and working-class people in Boston.

Later Life and Work

Public Service

Barbara Smith continued her work as a community organizer. In 2005, she was elected to the Albany, New York Common Council (city council). She was reelected in 2009. During her time on the council, Smith worked on issues important to young people. She also focused on preventing violence and creating educational chances for people who needed them most. She did not run for reelection in 2013. Smith now works with the Albany Mayor's Office. She helps lead projects to address unfairness in the economy and society.

Key Achievements

Smith continues to give talks and speeches. She has shared her important papers with the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn, New York. She also shared stories about her life with Columbia University and Smith College.

She appeared in the 1994 documentary Black Is...Black Ain't. She was also in the 2013 documentary Makers: Women Who Make America. In 2017, she gave a speech at Williams College. She spoke about "moral courage." She said that being honest and doing brave things are important parts of moral courage.

Smith was a Fellow at Radcliffe College in 1996. She received a Stonewall Award in 1994 for her activism. In 2000, she received the Church Women United's Human Rights Award. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

In 2015, the Albany Public Library Foundation named Smith a "LITERARY LEGEND." She shared this honor with author Gregory Maguire.

Smith is also an activist against Islamophobia (unfair fear or dislike of Muslim people). She created a website called "Stop Islamophobia." This website shows support for immigrants and refugees.

In 2019, an episode of the Making Gay History podcast was about Barbara Smith. In June 2020, Queerty magazine named her one of 50 heroes. This was in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade.

Awards and Recognition

African American Policy Forum Harriet Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)
Lambda Literary Award: Publishing Professional Award
Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association Achievement Award
Nomination for Nobel Peace Prize (2005)
Fellow at the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College
Scholar-in-residence at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (1995–1996)
Church Women United's Human Rights Award (2000)
Stonewall Award for Service to the Lesbian and Gay Community (1994)
The David R Kessler Award for Lesbian & Gay Studies: CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies(1994)

Barbara Smith facts for kids

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