When Dewi Smith moved to Austin for work, she didn’t know much about the city.
“The plane was landing, and I did not know who was going to cut my hair. I did not know what I was going to eat,” she said
Thirteen years later, Smith sees herself as a part of this city. She’s become an advocate for Austin’s Black community through her work with the local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and as a commissioner on Austin’s African American Resource Advisory Commission.
“I want to be like a Rosetta Stone between community — because community is so smart, so strong, knows so much about what [it] needs — and whatever this system is that is so complex with its legal language and its resolutions,” Smith said.
In the latest episode of the Black Austin Matters podcast, Smith sits down with hosts Lisa B. Thompson and Richard J. Reddick to talk about her relationship with her adopted city, and how she, along with the other members of her sorority, is working to educate Austinites about the upcoming elections.
This transcript has been edited for clarity. To hear more from this interview, check out the Black Austin Matters podcast
On claiming status as an Austinite
When people say, ‘Are you from Austin?’ I always have to look around to see who is born and raised here to see if I can answer yes or no. I feel like I've paid enough in rent to say yes. I feel like I've put in my sweat equity. I feel like I care enough to say yes.
But there are some who will be like, “You will never be this.’ I'm not quite sure how that serves us as long as I move in a way that honors that you are born and raised here and you carry a deep understanding of history that I will never understand … That's tough for me. But I am always going to still try. I'm here now.
On voting
When you are voting on bonds and these things that seem distant from your every day – like you might be voting on something that will not produce benefits for another three years … but it's not enough to just say I'm going to vote yes or no … You have to study. I think that elevates the importance to me of being an educated voter. Not just on the voting process. But what are you saying yes and no to? And how does it affect your every day in our communities?
On who gets to participate in the political process
Depth and regularity of participation – that is a luxury. You need to have a certain job that won't fire you for just being like, yeah, well, I need to sit in council chambers for five hours because I don't know when it's going to be my turn to speak.
On how her previous work and educational experience have prepared her for this work.
I think this system and its slow grind can wear us out. But if I have somebody who's had to take two years to get through an MBA program or somebody who has worked in research and evaluation on a three-year study to see if a program is effective – I'm built differently. And if I can use that advantage to give back to the community, then I feel obligated to do that because it's not causing me pain.
