Episode 115: Tony on the Mic - Pam Smith on her slavery roots and race relations today

Tony on the Mic

My guest today turned down Oprah, the first time she called, but did Tony on the Mic on the first request! She is Pam Smith and she is fascinating. She had a genealogy friend and they were working together for a few years. They discovered one of her friend’s people, owned – as in slavery – her people. How would your react? She tells us about the emotional whirlwind and how it all reconciled. Spoiler alert: after some tense moments they are still friends 30 years later. She is a long time civil rights activist who has worked with Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama and met Stokely Carmichael by accident! She lived in Africa for a few years, and lived in a monastery (not quite like Sister Act or Sound of Music I found out.) She has lived in the DMV, Chicago, Portland Oregon, spreading seeds of hope and racial reconciliation at every stop. Way too many cool stories for one podcast so we will have her back!