Beverly Smith (born November 16, 1946) in Cleveland, Ohio,[1] is a Black feminist health advocate,[2] writer, academic, theorist and activist who is also the twin sister of writer, publisher, activist and academic Barbara Smith.
Her essays and articles on racism, feminism, identity politics and women's health have been extensively published in the United States.
[8] Growing up, her mother worked as a supermarket clerk, and Smith's grandmother became the twins primary caretaker.
[5] On October 16, 1956, Hilda passed away after being hospitalized for several months as a result of heart complications that originated from childhood rheumatic fever.
[11] Smith became politically active when she was in high school and was involved in Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
[12] On the day of one of the boycotts, Smith and her sister attended one at a church nearby and read the Riot Act.
[5] In April 1964, Smith was part of a protest in honor of Civil Rights activist Bruce Klunder in Cleveland, Ohio[13] after his untimely death.
[11] While attending the University of Chicago, Smith formed a support group with other Black students where they would talk about racism on campus.
[14] In her third year, a friend of Barbara's transferred to the University of Chicago and invited Smith to a women's liberation meeting, where she became involved in political movements once again.
[20] Through networking at the National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO) conference in 1973, Smith met a woman who helped her land a job at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation doing research.
"[28]Beverly Smith took part in the above interview as a member of the Boston Chapter Committee to End Sterilization Abuse.
[31] Smith and her group saw that Black feminism had the logic and rhetoric to combat the oppression of all women of color.
[31] The collective was also involved in advocating for abortion rights, and combating sterilization abuse and domestic violence.