# @ncrmuseum on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DG9DneAODIb
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/27218468-ncrmuseum-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/2fd0e22474.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-08T21:50:19.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NatCivilRightsMuseum (@NCRMuseum) — https://gondola.cc/NCRMuseum

## Caption

Check out this video #Repost from MemphisForgotten 

This International Women’s Day, we honor the remarkable contributions of Maxine A. Smith, one of Memphis’ most prominent civil rights icons and a trailblazer in the movement. 

From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, she fought tirelessly against racial discrimination after being rejected by Memphis State University due to her race. 

She joined the Memphis Branch NAACP as a volunteer and quickly ascended to the role of Executive Secretary in April 1962. She was instrumental in coordinating key movements that dismantled legal segregation, including the impactful sit-in movement of the late 1960s, which led to the integration of public and private facilities. 
Her leadership during the 1968 Sanitation Strike and the school boycotts of 1969 helped pave the way for the first Black Superintendent of Memphis City Schools. 

Under Smith’s guidance of over 30-year tenure as Executive Secretary, the Memphis Branch of the NAACP flourished, earning the Thalheimer Award her —an unprecedented achievement that showcased the chapter’s status as one of the nation’s outstanding branches. 

A 2013 Freedom Award honoree and legacy museum board member, Maxine A. Smith has earned over 160 awards and citations, and her legacy continues to inspire activists today. Let us celebrate her impact and commitment to justice! 

#WomensHistoryMonth #CivilRights #MaxineASmith #LegacyOfChange #MemphisForgotten #CivilRightsHero #MemphisNAACP #BluffCityHistory #BlackHistory

## Stats

- **Views:** 433
- **Likes:** 0
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 1

## Tags

civilrights, womenshistorymonth, repost, memphisnaacp, memphisforgotten, bluffcityhistory, legacyofchange, blackhistory, maxineasmith, civilrightshero

---
Copyright (c) Gondola