Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Smith’s story of uneven progress toward inclusion, equity, and belonging began with Otelia Cromwell, class of 1900, the college's first Black graduate, and her niece, Adelaide Cromwell, class of 1940, Smith's first Black faculty member. Weaving together the voices and stories of faculty, students, and alums, this video explores how the Cromwells changed the course of Smith's history and influenced generations of scholars and students who followed.
Thank you to
Hamdiya Ahmed ’24, Africana Studies major
Kim Alston, Program & Communications Manager for Religious and Spiritual Life
Floyd Cheung, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Professor, English Language and Literature
Jennifer DeClue, Associate Professor, Study of Women and Gender
Deanna Dixon ’88, Dean of Admission
Sonia Paredes ’23, economics major
Denise Wingate Materre ’74, Vice President for Alumnae Relations
Nanci Young, College Archivist
College Archives
Smith College Libraries
Smith Alumnae Quarterly
The Sophian
Weaving Voices Archives
Video by Jeffrey Baker
Smith’s story of uneven progress toward inclusion, equity, and belonging began with Otelia Cromwell, class of 1900, the college's first Black graduate, and her niece, Adelaide Cromwell, class of 1940, Smith's first Black faculty member. Weaving together the voices and stories of faculty, students, and alums, this video explores how the Cromwells changed the course of Smith's history and influenced generations of scholars and students who followed.
Thank you to
Hamdiya Ahmed ’24, Africana Studies major
Kim Alston, Program & Communications Manager for Religious and Spiritual Life
Floyd Cheung, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Professor, English Language and Literature
Jennifer DeClue, Associate Professor, Study of Women and Gender
Deanna Dixon ’88, Dean of Admission
Sonia Paredes ’23, economics major
Denise Wingate Materre ’74, Vice President for Alumnae Relations
Nanci Young, College Archivist
College Archives
Smith College Libraries
Smith Alumnae Quarterly
The Sophian
Weaving Voices Archives
Video by Jeffrey Baker
