Faith Smith facts for kids

Faith Smith is an important Native American leader and teacher. She worked at the American Indian Center in Chicago and with the Native American Committee. She is best known for being the president of the Native American Educational Services College from 1974 to 2004.

Early Life

Faith Smith grew up on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin. She went to the Kinnamon School there. Later, her family moved to Chicago. She then went to and graduated from Purdue University in 1966. Faith noticed that many Native American students struggled after college. They found it hard to go back to their communities.

A Leader for Native Americans

Starting Her Activism

In the mid-1960s, Faith Smith joined the National Indian Youth Council. This was the first group run by Native American students. After college, she started working at the Chicago American Indian Center (AIC). She helped people as a caseworker. Faith believed the AIC should focus on helping Native Americans facing poverty. She also wanted to solve problems for those living in the city.

Helping the Community in Chicago

In the late 1960s, Faith and others formed the Native American Committee (NAC). This group was part of the AIC at first. They wanted to do more to help Native Americans. They also had a bigger vision for education. In 1970, the NAC became its own independent group. A member, Helen Whitehead, said their main goal was to help young Native Americans. They wanted to build a strong, positive self-image in them.

Faith Smith worked closely with Robert Reitz, who was the director of the AIC. When he passed away in 1971, Faith became the temporary director. Later that year, some people on the AIC board wanted to remove her. But Faith's supporters stood up for her. They called a meeting of all AIC members. The members voted to keep Faith as director. They also changed many people on the board. This showed how much the community trusted and supported her.

Building New Schools

In the same year, 1971, the NAC worked with Chicago Public Schools. They started the Little Big Horn School. This school was made to help Native American high school students. Then, in 1973, they created the O-Wai-Ya-Wa Elementary School program. These schools helped Native American children get a good education.

Leading NAES College

In 1974, Faith Smith and the NAC started the Native American Educational Services College (NAES College). Faith became its first president. This college was very special. It was the first college in a city that was run by and for Native Americans. Faith Smith was the president of NAES College for many years. She led the college until 2004. After that, Dorene Wiese took over as president.

See also

• Urban Indian
• Native American civil rights
• Red Power movement