Bill Text: MS SC557 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honor the legacy of Dr. Robert Smith as hero of health care in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-14 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC557 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-SC557-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Horhn, Butler, Blackmon, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Frazier, Jordan, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Norwood, Witherspoon, Barnett, Blount, Turner-Ford
Senate Concurrent Resolution 557
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS OF DR. ROBERT SMITH, M.D., AS THE CHAMPION AND HERO OF HEALTH CARE IN MISSISSIPPI DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA.
WHEREAS, a great physician and a man of intellect, compassion and courage, Dr. Robert Smith, M.D., spent decades of his professional life providing medical care to the poor, uninsured and underserved citizens of the Mississippi Delta. He confronted racism in the Mississippi medical community, which for decades denied health care access and opportunity to African-American physicians attempting to practice in the Mississippi Delta; and
WHEREAS, when Dr. Robert Smith of Jackson first learned that a thousand activists would be descending on Mississippi during Freedom Summer 1964, he lamented, "My God, what can we do? How are we going to manage?" The ninth of 12 children, Bob Smith grew up on a cattle farm in Terry, Mississippi. He attended Touglaoo College, graduated from Howard Medical School, and in 1962 began practicing medicine in Jackson. He got involved in the black freedom struggle and treated Civil Rights workers for free; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Smith knew that the influx of hundreds of new workers was bound to increase the level of violence across the state. The volunteers would also need medical attention for problems resulting from stress as well as for the normal ailments afflicting people moving into a new and strange environment. Their health care was left in the hands of the small number of black doctors, less than 50 of them, practicing in the state; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Smith contacted local community leaders who also saw the need for medical assistance. They got in touch with Tom Levin, a New York physician who assembled a team of physicians in the New York area, and that group formed an organization, the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR), that recruited more than 100 health care professionals, doctors, nurses, psychologists and social workers, to spend part of their summer vacation in Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, when the medical volunteers arrived in Jackson, they were met by Dr. Smith and representatives of Congress of Federated Organizations (COFO) for orientation. From there, they were driven to movement projects throughout the state where they performed a variety of functions. They examined Civil Rights workers and applied emergency care where necessary. They discovered that a good number of the veteran activists were suffering from what Robert Coles called "battle fatigue," providing psychiatric care for workers became an important function for MCHR; and
WHEREAS, during Freedom Summer, the doctors spoke at community meetings talking about basic medical issues to local people, many of whom had never been to a physician. They tried to reach out to the local white medical establishment, attempting to persuade their Mississippi counterparts to end the rigid segregation and discrimination that was so devastating to the health of black Mississippians. One of the most important functions of the MCHR doctors was "Medical Presence," a service they provided over the next decade wherever needed across the country. Overall, the work of the Medical Committee in Mississippi was a success and received high marks; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Smith's honors include:
· Recognized as a founder by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Mississippi Association of Community Health Centers (1965);
· Distinguished Service Award, the National Medical Association;
· Distinguished Service Award, the American Medical Association (2015);
· Distinguished Service, Institution of Higher Learning, Mississippi (2015);
· Smith and Marston Symposium, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi;
· Champion of Justice, Mississippi Center for Justice (2016);
· Participant as speaker, recognized guest at numerous symposiums and conferences locally and nationally;
· Served on numerous boards, corporate and nonprofit, locally and nationally, and received numerous awards; and
WHEREAS, as a community leader for the past several decades, Dr. Smith approaches his life work in five distinct ways: Physician, Civil Rights Activist, Researcher, Educator and Public Policy Advocate for the rights of all Americans to health care. The proudest of his accomplishments is that he has been a family physician to thousands of Mississippians. Dr. Robert Smith is married to the former Otrie B. Hickerson, M.D., and they have three children: Claude, Donna and Robert, Jr.; adopted daughter, Pamela; two grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews; and
WHEREAS, "We are so fortunate and proud that Dr. Smith remains in the forefront of the lines for medical struggle," President Beverly Hogan stated at the Mississippi Center for Justice Awards. "Tougaloo was ground zero for the Civil Rights Movement, and this distinguished Tougaloo Alumnus meets the expectations of this institution for the unwavering allegiance to the issues of justice today. His dedication to civil rights and human rights is legendary. His formation of the Medical Committee for Human Rights is in itself reason for recognition. But he stood fearlessly to give medical care to the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement. He chaired the committee to name the McCoy Building as the first federal building to be named for an African-American in Mississippi. He has been a tirelessly effective pioneer with the capacity to define needs and build bridges between disparate communities and organizations, while likewise working to achieve the ideals of a more humane and just world, and is 'A HERO IN HIS OWN TIME'":
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby honor the lifetime achievements of Dr. Robert Smith, M.D., as the champion and hero of health care in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Dr. Robert Smith and his family, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
