Smith-Wade-El was born in Washington, D.C. to Eva Mae and James Edward Smith.
[4] In her youth, she was a member of the Black Panther Party and Students for a Democratic Society.
[3][4] For 35 years she taught at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, where she was the director of African-American studies.
[7] Smith-Wade-El resided in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for more than thirty years.
[2] She died of triple-negative breast cancer in 2018 at the age of 70, having first been diagnosed with the disease in 2008.