An audio conversation with Reverend Dr. Brian E. Smith
Recorded
Roots, family, and Chicago
Transcript
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About the interview
About the interviewee
Reverend Dr. Brian E. Smith is a minister with a background in community development and affordable housing, including work on the redevelopment of Chicago’s Robert Taylor and Henry Horner Homes.
At Chicago Theological Seminary, he helped lead the Jesse Jackson Oral History Archive Project. He also serves as the Greater Chicago Area Regional Coordinator for the Oikos Institute for Social Impact.
I spoke with Reverend Dr. Brian E. Smith at Lake Forest Academy about his family’s migration to Chicago, the church community he grew up in, and his work in housing and community partnerships. We also discussed the Jackson Oral History Project and why relationships matter before, during, and after an interview.
I shared my regret about not recording my grandfather’s stories. Dr. Smith connected that experience to his own family’s memories and to the importance of recording the people who support a movement, as well as its best-known leaders.
Interviewed byAaron KimProject creator & interviewerAbout Aaron Kim →- Recorded
- 2026-09-15
- Location
- Lake Forest Academy