MS SC557

Dr. Robert Smith, M.D., practiced medicine in Jackson beginning in 1962 and provided free medical care to Civil Rights workers while treating poor and underserved citizens in the Mississippi Delta.

Dr. Smith organized the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) during Freedom Summer 1964, recruiting over 100 health care professionals from New York to provide medical services, emergency care, and psychiatric support to Civil Rights activists throughout Mississippi.

Dr. Smith confronted racism and segregation in Mississippi's medical community, which had denied African-American physicians access and opportunity to practice in the state, and attempted to persuade white physicians to end discriminatory practices.

Dr. Smith's honors include recognition as a founder of the National Association of Community Health Centers (1965), Distinguished Service Awards from the National Medical Association and American Medical Association (2015), and Champion of Justice award from the Mississippi Center for Justice (2016).

The resolution honors Dr. Smith's lifetime achievements as physician, Civil Rights activist, researcher, educator, and public policy advocate for universal health care access.