Son of a Slave (VOTA) | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Feb 26, 2024 6:00 pm
Location
Takoma
235 Carroll St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20012
Feb 26, 2024 6:00 pm
Takoma
Son of a man born enslaved in 1863 during the Civil War, Daniel Smith was living proof that slavery is not distant history. His father, 70 years old when Dan was born, taught him to work hard and carry himself well, even in difficult circumstances. In his educational, professional, and social pursuits, Dan lived those lessons. He was both witness to and participant in nearly a century of struggle for Black Americans to advance in a nation founded on separatist principles. For the intersections he had with historical events, political leaders, and other luminaries, he is often called the "Black Forrest Gump." In this memoir, completed just before he died on Oct. 19, 2022 at age 90, Smith offers a first-hand account of the actions, policies, and people that have helped or hindered the United States from fulfilling the promise that "all men are created equal."
Voices of Takoma Authors is an ongoing series of programs sponsored by Historic Takoma featuring presentations by local authors about their works, their approach to writing, and their inspirations, drawing on authors in the Takoma Authors collection. Voices of Takoma Authors provides an opportunity for the community to learn about their author neighbors and engage in discussions with them. While many of these discussions occur at Historic Takoma, Busboys and Poets Books Takoma is hosting some as well. For more, see Historic Takoma’s page: https://historictakoma.org/voices-of-takoma-authors/.
Loretta Neumann is joining us on the Busboys stage to discuss her late husband's life and his process of independently publishing SON OF A SLAVE. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of SON OF A SLAVE will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will NOT be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Daniel R. (Dan) Smith, (1932-2022) was the last known person whose father was born enslaved during the Civil War. His father, Abram Smith, was born in 1863 and was 70 years old when Dan was born in a nearly all-white town in Connecticut. Dan served in the newly desegregated Army during the Korean War, graduated from a largely white college where he was elected student body president, and attended Rev. Martin Luther King’s march on Washington in 1963. Afterwards, working as a leader of a federally funded Civil Rights program in Alabama (where he nearly lost his life to the KKK), he was with Rev. King on the third Selma to Montgomery march.
In 1968 Dan moved to Washington DC and worked for the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to establish neighborhood health centers throughout the US. Then, facing acute racial discrimination, he led a major program at the National Institutes of Health – Area Health Education Centers – and later worked on international health programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. After retirement, Dan coordinated events for the dedication of the Korean War Memorial and served as Head Usher for the Washington National Cathedral (escorting Presidents Bush, Clinton, and Obama).
For all the intersections with historical events, political leaders, and other luminaries, Dan was called the “Black Forrest Gump.” He has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles and TV interviews throughout the US and internationally. His memoir, Son of a Slave: A Black Man’s Journey in White America, was completed a few weeks before he died..
Loretta Neumann, the widow of Daniel R. Smith, is originally from Oklahoma. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, she later earned a master’s degree in legal studies from Antioch University Law School. Loretta moved to Washington in the late 1960s and was a writer, editor, and branch chief for the National Park Service. She left to work for a Member of Congress and served on the professional staff of a congressional committee handling legislation for public lands, national parks, and historic preservation. Afterwards she owned a government relations firm for 10 years.
In 1998, President Clinton appointed Loretta to head his American Heritage Rivers Initiative. She later worked for former Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), and then retired from Federal service. She married Daniel Smith in 2006 at the Washington National Cathedral and later helped edit his memoir.
Loretta has been active in many national and local nonprofit organizations and founded several, including the American Cultural Resources Association, Takoma Theatre Conservancy, and the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington. She is an active member of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City and the Woman’s National Democratic Club. In 2022 she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Historic Preservation by the DC Preservation League.
Historic Takoma is a membership-based, all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, founded to preserve the heritage of Takoma Park, Maryland and the Takoma Park neighborhood of the District of Columbia through educational activities and the preservation of historic landmarks and artifacts, especially documentary archives.
