In this fireside chat with Harold L. Martin Sr., Ph.D., Chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Robert F. Smith, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners (Vista), shared stories from his upbringing in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.
Smith grew up during the Civil Rights Movement in a segregated neighborhood of Denver. In his story, he shared that he always felt loved and looked after in his beloved community. He noted how everyone had a role in advancing the conditions of the community.
Smith shared how his father, a school principal, had unique access to the administration of the city. He cited an example of how the city took three days to plow one strip of the streets of his predominately Black neighborhood during heavy snow, while other neighborhoods were immediately plowed. To address this, his father created the North City Park Civic Association and brought civil action to bear so that when it snowed, a strip was plowed on the streets the day it snowed, not three days later.
Smith concluded by tying this story back to how we can contribute to our own communities as responsible citizens.
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More Robert F. Smith videos:
Robert F. Smith University of Denver Commencement Speech: youtube/kyy3W0jCwt0
Robert F. Smith Speaking at the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington: youtube/xxIb4_0qyk0?si=3qzrSHnSTKklk8mY
Robert F. Smith pays off student debt for Morehouse class of 2019:
youtube/-P1CcRphVnM?si=WSrJaMbhdnlSJywI
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Robert F. Smith is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, who is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista. Smith is committed to solving issues of racial and gender inequality, reforming the education system and eradicating systemic racism. To learn more about Smith, visit robertsmith.com/.
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