Looking Beyond Race: The Life of Otis Milton Smith (Great Lakes Books Series)

Amazon.com Price: $32.99 (as of 02/05/2019 15:24 PST- Details)

Categories: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Description

In Taking a look Beyond Race, Otis Milton Smith (1922-94) recounts his life as an African American who overcame poverty and prejudice to change into a successful politician, going on to change into the first black vice president and general counsel of General Motors.

Born in the slums of Memphis, Tennessee, Smith used to be the illegitimate son of a black domestic worker and her prominent white employer. Even supposing he identified with his mother’s blackness, he inherited his father’s white complexion. This left him open to racism from whites, who resented his African American heritage, and blacks, who resented his skin color.

Throughout his life, Smith worked with and met many prominent Americans. He knew boxer Joe Louis, future general Daniel “Chappie” James, future Detroit mayor Coleman Young, and the nation’s first African American general, B. O. Davis Jr. Through politics he knew Michigan’s prominent politicians and used to be appointed by Governor John Swainson to the Michigan Supreme Court, making him the first black man since Reconstruction to take a seat on any supreme court in the nation. Smith also knew nationally known figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Estes Kevfauver, and presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Through his civil rights work, he met A. P. Tureaud, Roy Wilkins, and Benjamin Hooks, and he worked closely with Vernon Jordan.

Looking Beyond Race provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of The united states’s largest corporation. Smith used to be an early advocate of the increased cooperation between business and government that used to be so essential for business negotiating the complexities of a global economy. In 1983 he retired as general counsel for the corporation,having been the company’s first black officer.

This memoir, which Smith dictated throughout the three years before his death in 1994, is a compelling tale that ends with the inspirational story of Smith’s reconciliation with his white relatives who still live in the South. On this highly readable memoir, Taking a look Beyond Race provides a moving tale in order to appeal to readers interested in African American history, politics, labor relations, business, and Michigan history.

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Americas » United States » State and Local » Looking Beyond Race: The Life of Otis Milton Smith (Great Lakes Books Series)

Recent Products