Barbara Ellen Smith

Barbara Ellen Smith is an American author, activist, and educator. She is known for her involvement and writing about social justice in Appalachia, particularly the Black Lung Movement and advocacy for coal miners. Smith sustains her career of more than 40 years by continuing to make contributions in the intersecting disciplines of women's and gender studies, sociology, geography, and Appalachian studies as a professor and author.

Early life and education

Smith was born in 1951 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana to missionary parents from Appalachia. Smith attended schools where most of her classmates were African American during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, making her conscious of the issues of race and inequality at a young age as she was the "only white kid in a neighborhood that was pretty much African American". As a result, she attributes her interest in racial justice to the ripple effects of the Civil Rights Movement in her local community. When she decided to return to school, she attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts for her graduate studies. She completed her Ph.D. in sociology in 1981. Her doctoral dissertation was titled "Digging Our Own Graves: Coal Miners and the Struggle over Black Lung Disease."

Career Thanks to her research on black lung disease and the working conditions in coal mines, Smith gained an interest in studying occupational health and the issues that women workers face. Smith traveled to West Virginia to further research the decline of the coal industry in Appalachia, the economic and health crises coal miners face, and what the future looks like in terms of environmental justice in the region. She later edited another book about the conditions women face in the South titled Neither Separate nor Equal: Women, Race, and Class in the South (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1999). She has also contributed many articles and book chapters covering issues relating to gender, race, class, and immigration. Smith worked as the Director of the Women's Studies Program as well as the Director of the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis. Smith was named professor emerita for her academic accomplishments and teaching experience in 2017.

Recent work While Barbara Ellen Smith's academic career can be divided into groups regarding Black Lung Movement, women's and gender issues, as well as race, in addition to immigration, her legacy proceeds her. She continues to write and edit, advocating for issues revolving around these topics. Her most recent work includes "Across Races and Nations: Building New Communities in the South". This project is a collaboration between the Center for Research on Women in Memphis, Tennessee, Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee, and the Southern Regional Council in Atlanta, Georgia.

Selected publications

Smith, B. E.; Parra, R.; Williams, S.; Lubell, D. Across races and nations: Building New Communities in the South https://www.intergroupresources.com/rc/Case%20Studies%20of%20Collaboration.pdf. Retrieved 2023-03-31.

Awards and honors Smith's honors include the ASPECT Outstanding Faculty Award, the Department of Sociology Outstanding Graduate Faculty Award, and the Department of Sociology Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award. The Virginia Board of Visitors awarded her with the title of professor emerita in 2017.