Dorothy Smith on the price of being the first

Born in Arkansas, Dorothy Smith and her family fled the state in 1937 due to a violent encounter with white men. They found refuge in South Bend. Dorothy fondly remembers her time at Hering House, a community center, and her involvement with the Phyllis Wheatley Girl Reserves. She was also the first African American person hired at Wells Electronics company. Despite her hard work, she faced intense harassment including enduring racial slurs and sabotaged workspaces. Dorothy persevered, becoming an expert at her job and holding her position for thirty years. Content notice: This episode contains stories of racial violence, as well as two uses of the slur known as the "n-word." You may want to skip this episode if that's too much to hear.The book by Lisa Swedarsky, A Place With Purpose: Hering House, can be purchased via Wolfson Press or borrowed from the Civil Rights Heritage Center’s library. This episode was produced by Caleb Matz from the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at IU South Bend, and by George Garner from the Civil Rights Heritage Center. Full transcript of this episode available here.Want to learn more about South Bend’s history? View the photographs and documents that helped create it. Visit Michiana Memory at http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/.Title music, “History Repeats,” from Josh Woodward, used via CC-BY-4.0-DEED. Visit his website at https://www.joshwoodward.com.