Maxine Smith facts for kids

Maxine Smith (born October 31, 1929 – died April 26, 2013) was an important leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

Maxine Smith was a teacher, a civil rights activist, and a school board official. She helped lead the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her work helped to end segregation in schools and advance civil rights for everyone.

Early Life and Education

Maxine Smith was the youngest of three children. Her parents were Joseph and Georgia Rounds Atkins. In 1945, when she was 15, Maxine finished Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis.

She went to Spelman College in Atlanta. In 1949, she earned a degree in biology there. Later, she earned a master's degree in French from Middlebury College in Vermont.

In 1955, she married Vasco A. Smith, Jr. He was a dentist and a civil rights leader. He also became the first Black county commissioner in Memphis. Maxine and Vasco had a son in 1956.

Fighting for Civil Rights

Maxine Smith started her career as a French professor. She taught at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. She also taught at Florida A&M University in Florida. Later, she taught for a short time at LeMoyne–Owen College in Memphis.

In 1957, Maxine Smith wanted to study more at the University of Memphis. But she was not allowed to join because she was Black. This unfair treatment made her join the Memphis Branch of the NAACP. In 1962, she became the Executive Secretary of the branch. She worked in this important role until she retired in 1995.

Ending School Segregation

In 1960, Maxine Smith helped to end segregation in Memphis public schools. Segregation meant that Black and white students went to separate schools. In 1961, she personally walked with the first 13 Black children. They were going to their new, desegregated schools.

Leading Protests and Campaigns

Maxine Smith led many efforts for civil rights through the Memphis NAACP. She helped organize:

• Sit-ins: People sat in places where Black people were not allowed.
• Marches: People walked together to protest unfair laws.
• Lawsuits: Legal actions to change unfair rules.
• Voter registration drives: Helping Black people sign up to vote.
• Student boycotts: Students refused to attend school or buy from certain stores.

One famous boycott was called "If You're Black, Take It Back." This campaign encouraged people to stop shopping at downtown stores. These stores had separate water fountains and unfair hiring practices for Black workers.

Memphis Sanitation Strike

In 1968, Maxine Smith helped with the Memphis sanitation strike. This was a protest by sanitation workers for better pay and working conditions. This event brought Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis. Sadly, he was assassinated there on April 4, 1968.

Work on the School Board

In 1971, Maxine Smith made history. She was the first African American person elected to the Memphis Board of Education. She served on the board until she retired in 1995.

She strongly supported school principal W. W. Herenton. In 1978, she helped him become the school superintendent. He was the first African American to hold that job in Memphis. Maxine Smith later supported Herenton when he successfully ran for mayor of Memphis.

In 1991, Maxine Smith was elected president of the Memphis Board of Education. She served two terms in this leadership role. In 1994, Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter appointed her to the Tennessee Board of Regents. This group manages many public colleges and universities in Tennessee.

Honors and Awards

Maxine Smith received many awards for her important work.

• In 2003, she received a Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.
• In 2004, her college, Spelman College, gave her an honorary degree. It was called a Doctor of Humane Letters.

Maxine Smith was also featured in two documentaries:

• The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 (2008), about the Civil Rights Movement.
• The Memphis 13, about the first Black children to desegregate Memphis schools.

Later Life and Legacy

Maxine Smith had some health problems and had heart surgery in 2012. She passed away on April 26, 2013, at 83 years old. She was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.

Congressman Steve Cohen spoke about her importance. He said that Maxine Smith was like the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement in Memphis." He noted that she helped desegregate everything in Memphis. This included schools, lunch counters, theaters, libraries, and other public places. He called her an "unstoppable force" for civil rights across America.