Interview with Stephanie Smith
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Interviewees
Smith, Stephanie
Interviewer
Edwards, Ana
Producer
Sunshine, Daniel
Description
This interview was conducted as part of the East Marshall Street Well Project. Ana Edwards, a public historian and teaching professor, interviewed Stephanie Smith, who serves on the Family Representative Council. In this interview, Ms. Smith discussed her deep roots in Richmond’s Black community and reflected on her extensive involvement in the project from its inception. She also discussed the project’s progress, her vision for its future, and the legacy of VCU.
In this session, Ms. Smith sits with interviewer Ana Edwards to discuss her experience as a part of the Family Representative Council member. Emphasizing her strong ties to Richmond, she reflects on her upbringing in the mid 20th century (00:00:41), her experience as a patient in the healthcare system, and her experiences with racism and classism at school and in the broader community (00:14:39). Noting the complex history of the Well, she walks through the FRC’s research of the Well’s history and adjacent examples of memorializing uncovered remains (00:25:59). From this process of discovery, she revisits the recommendations made for future research with DNA taken from the people whose remains were uncovered and her vision for creating a memorial for the ancestors (00:38:52). Smith elaborates on her future expectations for the FRC as a group, the legacy of VCU and its responsibility, and the need for institutional policies to be implemented (00:46:07). The interview ends with Smith noting the status of the EMSW Project’s implemented recommendations and the plan for internment of the remains (01:14:40).
Biographical Note
Ana Edwards is a public historian and community activist. Currently, she is a teaching professor in VCU's Department of African American Studies. Most of her work centers on preserving the history and public spaces associated with Gabriel and the African Burial Ground in Shockoe Bottom.
Stephanie Smith was born and raised in Richmond. She graduated from John Marshall High School during Freedom of Choice, and she holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University in Sociology. A former social worker with the Department of Public Welfare and currently a Senior Market Examiner with the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Insurance, she has an extensive background in resolving health insurance issues. Active with her church as a lector, she has volunteered with Richmond Public Schools, Girl Scouts, and other community organizations. She has served on the Family Representative Council of the East Marshall Street Well Project since its inception in 2015.
Note
This interview description and biographical information was written by Daniel Sunshine.
Corporate Name Subject
Hampden-Sydney College. Medical Department--Corrupt practices; Virginia Commonwealth University--Corrupt practices
Topical Subject
Reparations for historical injustices; Human remains (Archaeology)--Repatriation; African American cemeteries--Desecration; Body snatching; History--Virginia--Richmond; Medical colleges--Corrupt practices; Universities and colleges--Corrupt practices; Racism in medicine; Racism against Black people; Public history; Community organization
Place of Interview
Virginia Commonwealth University, The Workshop
City/Location
Richmond (Va.)
Genre
oral histories (literary genre)
Local Genre
oral history; sound recording; text
Type
Sound; Text
Digital Format
audio/mp3
Language
eng
Rights Statement URL
Rights
This material is protected by copyright, and copyright is held by Stephanie Smith. You are permitted to use this material in any way that is permitted by copyright. In addition, this material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Acknowledgment of Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries as a source is required.
Collection
East Marshall Street Well Oral History Project
Contributors
Virginia Commonwealth University
Source
"Interview with Stephanie Smith," East Marshall Street Well Oral History Project, M 573, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University.
File Name
emswoh_smithstephanie_interview.mp3
Disciplines
African American Studies | Digital Humanities | History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Oral History | Social History | United States History