Dr. Robert Smith's Legacy
A Conversation With Dr. Robert Smith
At the Fork of the Stream: The Life of Dr. Robert Smith
Resistance should be his middle name
Dr. Robert Smith
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tougaloo College in 1957 and later obtained his medical degree from Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., in 1961. He completed his clinical training at the West Side Medical Clinic of Cook County Hospital in Chicago.
Upon his return to Jackson in 1962, Dr. Smith took on the role of the first volunteer Southern medical field director for the Medical Committee for Human Rights, which served as the healthcare arm of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. He became a national trailblazer in the development of comprehensive community health centers. Today, Mississippi is home to at least 21 such centers, with more than 1,400 nationwide impacting over 30 million patients.
Following the pivotal Freedom Summer of 1964, Dr. Robert Smith, alongside esteemed colleagues Count Gibson and Jack Geiger, advocated for the establishment of federally funded community health centers. Their proposal gained approval from the U.S. government, leading to the creation of these centers in 1965. Today, they are known as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which provide healthcare services to over 30 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands in Mississippi. “We were part of the political force that promoted Medicare, Medicaid, and several other federally sponsored assistance programs,” Smith explained.
Margaret Walker Center's Interview
This interview with noted physician and healthcare/civil rights activist Dr. Robert L. Smith was conducted by MWC oral historian Alissa Rae Funderburk on March 28, 2024 as part of the Scott Ford House Inc. Mississippi Granny Midwives Oral History Project. Dr. Smith is a native of Terry, Mississippi and a graduate of both Tougaloo and Howard University with a medical career spanning over 60 years. In that time he has worked diligently to make healthcare a human right, advocating for Medicare and Medicaid as well as being instrumental in the implementation of Federally Qualified Health Centers throughout the state and across the country.
Dr. Robert Smith's Legacy
Dr. Smith’s efforts were closely tied to the Civil Rights Movement, as he worked alongside leaders like Medgar Evers and other activists to champion equality. His dedication to providing healthcare to underserved Black communities was sparked by the barriers many faced when seeking medical treatment.
Through his leadership, Dr. Smith’s medical committee significantly influenced healthcare reform throughout the South, ensuring greater access to equitable healthcare for African Americans. His commitment to compassionate care has impacted countless lives through both treatment and education. Since 1963, he has led what is now known as Central Mississippi Health Services, the state’s first multispecialty clinic offering care regardless of patients’ ability to pay. This institution has transformed healthcare accessibility for communities of color in Mississippi.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Smith has contributed to academia. He has served as a part-time assistant clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, where he helped establish the family medicine program. He has also held academic roles at Tufts University in Boston, where he was a clinical professor of community medicine, and at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he is professor emeritus. Furthermore, he played a pivotal role in formalizing Tougaloo College’s pre-health program.
Throughout his career, Dr. Smith has practiced medicine at institutions such as St. Dominic Hospital, Baptist Medical Center, and Merit Health Centers. He also assisted and was instrumental with starting other Federally Qualified Health Centers throughout Mississippi.
