Vivian Smith (suffragist)
{{Short description|American suffragist (1891–1961)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = Vivian Smith at 1916 Graduation.jpg
| caption = Smith at graduation, 1916
| birth_date = {{birth date|1891|10|23}}
| birth_place = Fulton, Kentucky, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1961|10|28|1891|10|23}}
| death_place = Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.
| nationality =
| other_names = Vivian Watts
| occupation = Teacher, civil rights leader, women's suffragist
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
Vivian Beatrice Watts ({{née|Smith}}; October 23, 1891 – October 28, 1961) was an American teacher, civil rights activist, and women's suffragist. She was the first African American student to graduate with a bachelor's degree in English from Iowa State Teachers College, which is now known as the University of Northern Iowa. Smith was included in a 2021 traveling exhibit honoring Iowa African American women suffragists.
Personal life
Smith was born on October 23,{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLX6-VNKM |title=Iowa, Old Age Tax Assistance Records, 1934-1958 |publisher=FamilySearch |access-date=December 30, 2022}} 1891,{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9K7-Y5W |title=United States Census, 1900 |publisher=FamilySearch |access-date=December 30, 2022}} in Fulton, Kentucky, to Clemmie and Samuel Smith.{{cite web |url=https://iowaculture.gov/sites/default/files/history-education-ghk-enslavement-thinklike-digital.pdf |title=Vivian Smith (c. 1894–unknown) |publisher=Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs |access-date=December 17, 2022}} She moved with her family to Clinton, Iowa, where her parents worked as hotel cooks. Shortly after the Illinois Central shopmen's strike of 1911, the family moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where Smith attended school.{{cite web |url=https://iawf.org/iwf-celebrates-black-history-in-iowa-smith-beason/ |title=IWF Celebrates Black History in Iowa: Vivian Smith and Murda Beason |date=February 15, 2021 |publisher=The Iowa Women's Foundation|access-date=December 17, 2022}} Smith graduated from Iowa State Teachers College, which is now known as the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 1916, as the first black student to graduate with a bachelor's degree in English.{{cite magazine |last=Neymeyer |first=Robert |year=1980 |title=May Harmony Prevail: The Early History of Black Waterloo |url=https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/palimpsest/article/23906/galley/132276/view/#page=11 |access-date=3 January 2023 |magazine=The Palimpsest |publisher=Iowa State Historical Society |page=90}} She was one of the first black students to graduate from there, and Smith's cousin, Murda Beason, graduated from the same university six months prior. Smith was a violinist and singer, often performing at Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs meetings.{{cite news |last1=Benkowich |first1=Allyn |last2=Corey |first2=Kristen |date=August 25, 2020 |title=Profiles of Courage and Persistence: Vivian Smith |url=https://globegazette.com/lee-wire/profiles-of-courage-and-persistence-vivian-smith/article_c0502645-99db-5487-a9fa-75061dd0a62b.html?mode=nowapp |newspaper=Globe Gazette |access-date=December 17, 2022}} She was a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She married LeRoy Watts on October 23, 1925, in Black Hawk County, Iowa.{{cite web |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KC4N-D32 |title=Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934 |publisher=FamilySearch |access-date=December 30, 2022}} She died on October 28, 1961, in Iowa City, Iowa.{{cite news |date = October 31, 1961 |title=Mrs. LeRoy Watts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/302137206 |newspaper=Quad-City Times |access-date=December 30, 2022}}
Career
Smith tried to find work as a teacher, but she was unable to find employment due to her race; Waterloo did not hire African American teachers until 1952. After being hired as a house cleaner, Smith later created the Waterloo Suffragette Council, which focused on women's rights. She was part of the Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs as an officer and chairwoman of suffrage. After being hired as a teacher, she taught in Kamrar and Blairsburg in Iowa as well as in Illinois.
Smith was included in a 2021 traveling museum exhibit titled "Toward a Universal Suffrage: African American Women in Iowa and the Vote for All". The exhibit was created by the Iowa Department of Human Rights' Office on the Status of Women, the Central Iowa Community Museum, and the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.{{cite web |url=https://cattcenter.iastate.edu/2021/09/13/behind-the-creation-of-toward-a-universal-suffrage-african-american-women-in-iowa-and-the-vote-for-all/ |title=Behind the creation of "Toward a Universal Suffrage: African American Women in Iowa and the Vote for All" |date=September 2021 |publisher=Iowa State University|access-date=December 17, 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Vivian}}
Category:American women civil rights activists
Category:African-American suffragists
Category:Suffragists from Iowa
Category:University of Northern Iowa alumni
Category:People from Fulton, Kentucky