In Looking Beyond Race, Otis Milton Smith (1922-94) recounts his
life as an African American who overcame poverty and prejudice to
become a successful politician and the first black elected to a
statewide office in the nineteenth century. He went on to become
the first black vice president and general counsel of General
Motors.
Born in the slums of Memphis, Smith was the illegitimate son of
a black domestic worker and her prominent white employer. Although
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 was appointed by Governor John
Swainson to the Michigan Supreme Court, making him the first black
man since reconstruction to sit on any Supreme Court in the nation.
Smith also knew nationally known figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt,
Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Estes Kevauver, 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 America's largest corporation, General Motors, at a
time when the company expanded its overseas market and faced an
unprecedented flood of consumer lawsuits. Smith was an early
advocate of the increasedcooperation between business and
government that was so necessary for businesses 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 during 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. In this highly readable
memoir, Looking Beyond Race provides a moving tale that will appeal
to readers interested in African American history, politics, labor
relations, business and Michigan history.
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