Maria Smith interview, 12 August 2024

Maria Smith recollects her early life growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri, attending Catholic schools and later studying Political Science in college. Smith decided to go to law school soon after, later reconnecting with her faith. Smith highlights the need to find community in her life, which eventually led her to Cleveland’s Near West Side. Smith and her husband were involved in the Witness for Peace where they lived and worked in Nicaragua during the Contra War. They would eventually live in Brazil for a period of time before returning to Cleveland where she was involved in various community organizations like West Side Community House, May Dugan Center, and Cleveland Nonviolence Network.