Through his body of publications, Dr. Smith offered an important perspective on the events of the Tallahassee civil rights movement, and in effect became not only a commentator on the civil unrest, but also a spokesman for many individuals who were otherwise without a voice in the community. At a time when African-Americans did not speak during city commission meetings, Dr. Smith was boisterous, forceful and immovable as he spoke out against the indignities saw. He railed against a leasing agreement enacted by the city of Tallahassee in 1956, which effectively kept the Capital City Country Club segregated. For 15 years, he implored city leaders to make major improvements to Canal Street and ultimately succeeded in his effort to have the road renamed FAMU Way.
Dr. Smith’s publications include “Student Unrest on Historically Black Campuses” (1995), “The Civil Rights Movement in Florida and the United States: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives” (1989), “Tallahassee Bus Boycott” (1958), and an article co-authored with Louis M. Killian, “The Tallahassee Bus Protest: Field Reports on Desegregation in the South” (1958). In June 2013, Smith released his final publication, entitled “Dr. Charles U. Smith, Notes and Commentaries.”
Dr. Smith received an academic scholarship to the Tuskegee Institute and gradually developed an interest in sociology. After graduating from Tuskegee, Dr. Smith pursued a master’s degree in sociology at Fisk University, which he received after two years in 1946. He then began looking for jobs and took a position at FAMU as one of the university’s first full-time sociologists. Although Dr. Smith’s field was sociology, he also taught courses in geography since there was no official sociology department at the time. Dr. Smith taught at FAMU for two years before moving to enroll in the Ph.D. program at Washington State University. Dr. Smith completed his degree in two years and notably, was the first African-American to earn a doctorate in sociology from WSU.
Dr. Smith returned to FAMU in 1948. Throughout his life, he remained focused on the social and economic plight of African-Americans in the United States both in his academic and professional activities. He continued to passionately advocate for a continuity of social consciousness. He was an early member of the Tallahassee Human Relations Council, the first integrated civic organization, and held the position of President for two terms during the 50s and early 60s. He was an active member of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
