I remember reading the life story of Amanda Smith when I was a teenager. Her life impacted mine in several ways. Primarily the way that

Amanda Smigh

 she overcame prejudice, poverty, & religious bigotry. I have not encountered very many people who have even heard of her. So I’ve chosen her as the subject of this blog post & trust that you will be enticed to read more about her remarkable life & contribution to American culture.

Amanda Berry Smith (January 23, 1837 – February 24, 1915) was a former slave who became an inspiration to thousands of women both black and white. She was born in Long Green, Maryland, a small town in Baltimore County. Her father’s name was Samuel Berry while her mother’s name was Mariam. Her father, a slave, worked for years at night and after long days of field labour, he had to make brooms and husk mats to pay for freedom for his whole family of 7. Read the rest of this entry »