Q&A with Vernon Smith: Octogenarian Democrat says adversity has fueled him
Vernon G. Smith used his experience of overcoming racism to achieve success and help mentor the next generation of African American youth in Gary.
In his other life as a college professor, Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, researches “the achievement and plight of African American males and educational leadership.” He has written several books and many journal articles. Photo provided.
While Smith was a student at Indiana University, racism was alive and well on campus, he said, which helped shape him into the man he is today. Smith was one of just over 300 Black students. One professor had given a 45-minute speech on why Blacks weren’t as good as whites.
Smith sat in the front determined to prove his professor wrong by having success in his class.
“I was sitting in front because I wanted to get to know the professor. I wanted the professor to know me,” Smith said. “And so if I’m between an A or B, because he knows me, he’s probably gonna give me an A. If he doesn’t know me, he’ll feel comfortable giving me a B.”
Smith received a B in the class. He said he knew being in that class was going to be challenging but he had to keep going regardless because “the battle is not over until you quit.”
“I think it was God’s way of preparing me to deal with multiple issues, you know,” Smith said. “Don’t give up, just find another talent, every setback is an opportunity for a comeback.”
Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, became a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1990. Prior to his election, Smith had served on the Gary City Council since 1972.
He is currently a professor of education at Indiana University Northwest (IUN), where he has won every teaching award offered on the Northwest Campus. He has also served as the interim dean of IUN’s School of Education.
Smith’s professional background includes experience at several public schools in Gary. He was the principal of Williams School from 1985 to 1992, principal of Nobel School from 1978 to 1985, and assistant principal of Ivanhoe School from 1972 to 1978. Smith taught in Gary Public Schools between 1966 and 1971. He graduated from Froebel High School and earned his bachelor of science, master of science and doctorate of education degrees from Indiana University and has undertaken post-doctoral work at Indiana University and Purdue University.
As of January 2024, he is one of just 10 Black Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives, where Republicans have had partisan control for over a decade.
Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, found himself one of just a few hundred Black students at Indiana University as an undergraduate. An incident with a racist professor became a catalyst in his decision to not to allow himself to become discouraged in his dreams of being a teacher and social activist. Photo provided.
Smith’s experience dealing with racism in college made him determined to do twice as well as his counterparts, and it also made him have drive and stick-to-itiveness because he was determined that people were not going to define his future. That’s also one of the reasons he got a full professorship.
While Smith was going for tenure and promotion, a secretary made a mistake and gave him his dossier without removing the reviews. Normally, the information doesn’t get back to you directly. The blind review did not have the names of the people on it, but there was one person who said, “He’s just a politician. If we give him tenure and promotion, he’ll never do any more research.”
“I don’t let people define me,” Smith said. “I define myself as who I want to be. I work hard in trying to create a public image and you don’t determine what I can do, what I can’t do or what I will do. And so I feel that was a way of God ordering my step because he wanted me to be a full professor.”
Smith continued: “So, you only make changes for two reasons. I don’t care what reason you come up with. It’s either through agitation, which is outside or dissatisfaction, which is internal. I wasn’t internally dissatisfied with just being an associate professor. This professor, whoever it was, I don’t know who, it was to irritate me to make me go further.”
TheStatehouseFile.com recently met Smith over breakfast for a Q&A to talk about life behind the scenes of being a representative.
Where does he stay during the legislative session?
With Gary being around two hours and 20 minutes from the Statehouse, would Smith travel back and forth every day after the legislative session?
“I stay in a hotel when I’m down there, and I have a house in Gary,” he said. “I used to have a furnished apartment down there [Indianapolis], but it’s such a waste paying for furnished apartments, and I’m only sleeping there three nights out of seven days a week. So I just figured it’s cheaper for me.
“If I just stay in a hotel, the only downside of being in a hotel is that it’s gonna move in and out. I gotta bring my first luggage down every Monday and check out every Thursday, so that’s a headache.”
Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, at 8 years old. Photo provided.
What keeps him going?
It’s a Republican supermajority in the Statehouse, so the Democrats rarely win bills. Smith introduced five bills in the legislation session that didn’t pass; for example, House Bill 1017 would prohibit Indiana schools from teaching about Christopher Columbus or former United States presidents who were known to have slaves. However, the bill would allow instruction on these individuals if the teaching included information about their ownership of slaves or the decimation of indigenous populations.
Smith’s goal was to send a message and to get people thinking. Smith knew it was essentially a waste of one-fifth of the bills he’s allowed to write, but he hoped to wake people up.
“[I’m] elected to be the voice of the people in my district. And I get up and I say things that [Republicans] don’t want me to say,” Smith said.
“And so being the voice of my people, that’s all I can do. I never make promises that I’m going to get this done or that done. I simply say I’m going to voice your opinion. That’s why I answer all letters, all emails, I return all phone calls, and I respond to people by being in the public so I can feel closer to the people.
“I believe stop signs were made for traffic, not for people. … So therefore, I have determination, I have drive, I have stick-to-itiveness because I understand that if it’s not said, if I don’t challenge it, maybe nobody will.”
Do Democrats and Republicans hang out outside of the session?
“Some of them do,” Smith said. “And I have had people that I was close to, I hung out with, but most times I don’t do a lot of hanging out. When I finish the session, I’m working on community projects for Gary and working on things that I have to do for the university. So, I don’t do a lot of hanging out.”
What community projects does he do for Gary?
Smith not only is the voice of the people in his district, he also tries to make a difference in his community. He sponsors the annual Spirit of Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day for the needy and homeless, which provides gifts and food for over 600 people. He sponsors the annual Harvest Fest that feeds the homeless and needy during the Thanksgiving season. He chairs the Alumna of Indiana University Black Alumni group. He hosts the Penny-A-Ton Drive, which raises over $3,000 annually to provide clothing, food and toys to needy Gary students. And he also sponsors a Stash the Trash project to clean Broadway in Gary.
Do disagreements on bills carry over to behind-the-scenes?
Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, in a file photo.
During a House session in February 2021, confrontations broke out while discussing a bill concerning school district boundaries that some were calling racist. The clash happened on the same day Black members were celebrating Black History Month by wearing traditional African garb. The Black members believed there was racist intent in the bill and were booed off the podium.
Afterwards, Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, spoke of a verbal altercation a Republican representative had with Smith in the bathroom.
“I don’t bring [politics] up, I leave what happened on the floor, on the floor,” Smith said. “I do go to some of the dinners and receptions, and sometimes I sit with Republicans, and they’ll ask me some questions, but usually I don’t bring it up. They bring it up.”
Do his college experiences still affect his job today?
“That made me an overcomer. I didn’t end up getting an A out of the class, I got a B, but the bottom line is that I know those challenges were there, and so because they are there you have to keep going regardless because the battle is not over until you quit. Nobody could make you stop, you have to quit. …
“Don’t give up, just find another talent, every setback is an opportunity for a comeback.”
DeMarion Newell is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Vernon G. Smith used his experience of overcoming racism to achieve success and help mentor the next generation of African American youth in Gary.
While Smith was a student at Indiana University, racism was alive and well on campus, he said, which helped shape him into the man he is today. Smith was one of just over 300 Black students. One professor had given a 45-minute speech on why Blacks weren’t as good as whites.
Smith sat in the front determined to prove his professor wrong by having success in his class.
“I was sitting in front because I wanted to get to know the professor. I wanted the professor to know me,” Smith said. “And so if I’m between an A or B, because he knows me, he’s probably gonna give me an A. If he doesn’t know me, he’ll feel comfortable giving me a B.”
Smith received a B in the class. He said he knew being in that class was going to be challenging but he had to keep going regardless because “the battle is not over until you quit.”
“I think it was God’s way of preparing me to deal with multiple issues, you know,” Smith said. “Don’t give up, just find another talent, every setback is an opportunity for a comeback.”
Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, became a member of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1990. Prior to his election, Smith had served on the Gary City Council since 1972.
He is currently a professor of education at Indiana University Northwest (IUN), where he has won every teaching award offered on the Northwest Campus. He has also served as the interim dean of IUN’s School of Education.
Smith’s professional background includes experience at several public schools in Gary. He was the principal of Williams School from 1985 to 1992, principal of Nobel School from 1978 to 1985, and assistant principal of Ivanhoe School from 1972 to 1978. Smith taught in Gary Public Schools between 1966 and 1971. He graduated from Froebel High School and earned his bachelor of science, master of science and doctorate of education degrees from Indiana University and has undertaken post-doctoral work at Indiana University and Purdue University.
As of January 2024, he is one of just 10 Black Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives, where Republicans have had partisan control for over a decade.
Smith’s experience dealing with racism in college made him determined to do twice as well as his counterparts, and it also made him have drive and stick-to-itiveness because he was determined that people were not going to define his future. That’s also one of the reasons he got a full professorship.
While Smith was going for tenure and promotion, a secretary made a mistake and gave him his dossier without removing the reviews. Normally, the information doesn’t get back to you directly. The blind review did not have the names of the people on it, but there was one person who said, “He’s just a politician. If we give him tenure and promotion, he’ll never do any more research.”
“I don’t let people define me,” Smith said. “I define myself as who I want to be. I work hard in trying to create a public image and you don’t determine what I can do, what I can’t do or what I will do. And so I feel that was a way of God ordering my step because he wanted me to be a full professor.”
Smith continued: “So, you only make changes for two reasons. I don’t care what reason you come up with. It’s either through agitation, which is outside or dissatisfaction, which is internal. I wasn’t internally dissatisfied with just being an associate professor. This professor, whoever it was, I don’t know who, it was to irritate me to make me go further.”
TheStatehouseFile.com recently met Smith over breakfast for a Q&A to talk about life behind the scenes of being a representative.
Where does he stay during the legislative session?
With Gary being around two hours and 20 minutes from the Statehouse, would Smith travel back and forth every day after the legislative session?
“I stay in a hotel when I’m down there, and I have a house in Gary,” he said. “I used to have a furnished apartment down there [Indianapolis], but it’s such a waste paying for furnished apartments, and I’m only sleeping there three nights out of seven days a week. So I just figured it’s cheaper for me.
“If I just stay in a hotel, the only downside of being in a hotel is that it’s gonna move in and out. I gotta bring my first luggage down every Monday and check out every Thursday, so that’s a headache.”
Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, at 8 years old. Photo provided.
What keeps him going?
It’s a Republican supermajority in the Statehouse, so the Democrats rarely win bills. Smith introduced five bills in the legislation session that didn’t pass; for example, House Bill 1017 would prohibit Indiana schools from teaching about Christopher Columbus or former United States presidents who were known to have slaves. However, the bill would allow instruction on these individuals if the teaching included information about their ownership of slaves or the decimation of indigenous populations.
Smith’s goal was to send a message and to get people thinking. Smith knew it was essentially a waste of one-fifth of the bills he’s allowed to write, but he hoped to wake people up.
“[I’m] elected to be the voice of the people in my district. And I get up and I say things that [Republicans] don’t want me to say,” Smith said.
“And so being the voice of my people, that’s all I can do. I never make promises that I’m going to get this done or that done. I simply say I’m going to voice your opinion. That’s why I answer all letters, all emails, I return all phone calls, and I respond to people by being in the public so I can feel closer to the people.
“I believe stop signs were made for traffic, not for people. … So therefore, I have determination, I have drive, I have stick-to-itiveness because I understand that if it’s not said, if I don’t challenge it, maybe nobody will.”
Do Democrats and Republicans hang out outside of the session?
“Some of them do,” Smith said. “And I have had people that I was close to, I hung out with, but most times I don’t do a lot of hanging out. When I finish the session, I’m working on community projects for Gary and working on things that I have to do for the university. So, I don’t do a lot of hanging out.”
What community projects does he do for Gary?
Smith not only is the voice of the people in his district, he also tries to make a difference in his community. He sponsors the annual Spirit of Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day for the needy and homeless, which provides gifts and food for over 600 people. He sponsors the annual Harvest Fest that feeds the homeless and needy during the Thanksgiving season. He chairs the Alumna of Indiana University Black Alumni group. He hosts the Penny-A-Ton Drive, which raises over $3,000 annually to provide clothing, food and toys to needy Gary students. And he also sponsors a Stash the Trash project to clean Broadway in Gary.
Do disagreements on bills carry over to behind-the-scenes?
During a House session in February 2021, confrontations broke out while discussing a bill concerning school district boundaries that some were calling racist. The clash happened on the same day Black members were celebrating Black History Month by wearing traditional African garb. The Black members believed there was racist intent in the bill and were booed off the podium.
Afterward, Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, spoke of a verbal altercation a Republican representative had with Smith in the bathroom.
“I don’t bring [politics] up, I leave what happened on the floor, on the floor,” Smith said. “I do go to some of the dinners and receptions, and sometimes I sit with Republicans, and they’ll ask me some questions, but usually I don’t bring it up. They bring it up.”
Do his college experiences still affect his job today?
“That made me an overcomer. I didn’t end up getting an A out of the class, I got a B, but the bottom line is that I know those challenges were there, and so because they are there you have to keep going regardless because the battle is not over until you quit. Nobody could make you stop, you have to quit. …
“Don’t give up, just find another talent, every setback is an opportunity for a comeback.”
Footnote: DeMarion Newell is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
