Daniel Smith's StoryFile

Daniel is the son of Abram, who was born a slave in Virginia in 1863. He remembers being just 5 years old listening to his family tell stories about those who were enslaved and tried to escape or were accused of lying to their owners. They were chained at the wrist, chased by dogs, and hung. In his late 80’s, he is an important reminder of a demographic almost gone: the child of a man considered a piece of property and stripped by society of his humanness.

Daniel Smith answered 199 questions including:

When did you first learn that your father was enslaved?
How did it feel to be at the March on Washington?
Tell us about your service in the Korean War.