Nate Smith was a labor leader and civil rights activist who fought for inclusion of African Americans in trade unions. Mr. Smith became a prominent leader of the civil rights movement, marching alongside Byrd Brown and Jesse Jackson. He met with Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Pope Paul and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. In 1975, Mr. Smith traveled to Israel to advise Golda Meir on Israel’s trade unions.The Pittsburgh Press wrote in 1969 that Nate Smith “made believers out of the non-believers” through Operation Dig, a program that trained African American workers to work in construction. Pittsburgh newspapers at the time criticized the project and questioned its long-term impact. Nate Smith, however, had no doubts. The Pittsburgh Press quoted him as saying:I think we’ve won. I really do. I think we’ve won because something was given to these men that they have never had. It was a little love, concern and understanding. This is the basic thing.This is something that black people have never had much of. These are the things that I have seen that were more important than the money, more important than anything. And this is what won. Believe me (July 12, 1969). Operation Dig’s training model was widely adopted by cities and states. Nate Smith earned national and international recognition as one of the civil rights movement’s most influential figures.
(Photo by Harry Coughanour, Post-Gazette)
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