Leading by Inspiration
Although she would never make a fuss about it, Edith Renfrow Smith ’37, DHL ’19, is an exceptional woman.
Even as a girl, Renfrow Smith knew she wanted to attend Grinnell College. She persevered, and in 1937, became Grinnell’s first Black woman graduate.
Renfrow Smith, who recently turned 110, has an abiding love for Grinnell — both College and town. In a Grinnell Magazine interview for a story about her life that ran nearly 20 years ago, she said “Grinnell is still home.” She used those words again when she visited campus in September.
But neither age nor sentimentality cloud her vision. She chooses to focus on what’s good in the world, though she clearly sees the flaws.
For instance, she sees the racism that persists in our society. But Renfrow Smith has never allowed the attitudes of others to deter or define her. They are, as she says, “not mine to carry.”
In comments during the September celebrations for the dedication of Renfrow Hall — the College’s new downtown student residence hall named in honor of Renfrow Smith — Professor Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant remarked on what a powerful inspiration Renfrow Smith has been for so many Grinnellians who came after her.
“They sit under the shade of your tree,” she said of Renfrow Smith, who was in the audience. “We are all guided by your steadiness, your irrepressible joy in living, and your care. You have spent a century guided by the light of your mother’s motto — ‘No one is better than you’ — and your example emboldens all of us to walk straighter, with our chins up, and with our chests opened to all the power that exists inside of us.”
Beauboeuf-Lafontant, who holds the Louise R. Noun ’29 Chair of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, also leads “Team Renfrow,” a student-faculty research collaboration focusing on the lives of Black Grinnellians at the College and in the town. With her indomitable spirit, Renfrow Smith broke new ground for other Black women at Grinnell. The Grinnell Magazine is proud to celebrate the lives and careers of a few of the almost 650 Black women who have followed in Renfrow Smith’s footsteps at the College. Collectively, these women are the embodiment of Renfrow Smith’s legacy. They exemplify her bold daring, her love of community, and her enduring commitment to succeed in spite of the odds.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Valeriya Woodard ’25, Team Renfrow student researcher who provided helpful facts and information for this story.
Carson Peters ’20
Inspired to Improve Public Health
When Carson Peters ’20 graduated from Grinnell, the world was facing a global pandemic that would claim at least 3 million lives worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Living, working, and studying during a pandemic inspired Peters to rededicate herself to a career in public health.
As a high school student, she had already interned at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. This experience — besides giving her the occasional glimpse of Dr. Anthony Fauci (“a superhero,” she says) — ignited her passion for public health.
It helped launch Peters on her post–high school academic journey, which began at Grinnell, where she created an independent major focusing on the biology of global health — biology, sociology, and global development. Through an undergrad-to-grad program with the University of Iowa, Peters also earned a master’s degree in public health with a specialization in epidemiology.
While transitioning to her Ph.D. program in global public health at the University of Maryland, Peters worked to increase acceptance of the COVID vaccine through a program called Shots at the Shop, a White House initiative that used barbershops and hair salons as community spaces to vaccinate communities of color.
Shots at the Shop is just one example of Peters’ commitment to partnering with the community to achieve public health goals. These efforts can advance health equity and improve health outcomes among historically underrepresented, underserved communities, she explains.
Peters says that Grinnell holds a special place in her life. Her Grinnell mentors encouraged her to grow and thrive, while also supporting her development as a scholarly activist.
“I’m continuously grateful for the foundation that Grinnell instilled in me, which has shaped my academic and professional pursuits,” she says.
Peters feels a deep connection to Edith Renfrow Smith as a creator of transformative change and for her strong presence as a Black woman, Grinnell groundbreaker, educator, and advocate.
“Her personal drive and motivation, and her commitment to advancing and driving social change, is something that I seek to embody also in my personal and professional life,” Peters says.
Veronique Porter ’08
Inspired to Serve Others
When Chicago native Veronique Porter ’08 visited Grinnell as a prospective student, it was her first time on a plane.
It didn’t go well. She got a headache. Her ears popped for two days. The airline lost her luggage.
But when she stepped onto the Grinnell campus, all that fell away. “Honestly, I had the most amazing time,” she says. “I just felt so comfortable and at home.”
Porter chose to enroll at Grinnell and arrived ready for whatever the experience would be. She ended up majoring in English and still loves viewing the world through a literary lens.
A sociology class and many chats with Professor Kesho Scott, DSS ’21, offered a role model for how to be a Black woman in America, Porter says. Other Grinnell influencers included Doug Cutchins ’93, who helped her explore her dream of serving in the Peace Corps, and Michael Sims in student affairs, who nurtured her capacity for leadership in student organizations such as Concerned Black Students.
But it was the Grinnell community that shaped her the most. “Everything that I learned and experienced and honed at Grinnell plays an active part in who I am today,” Porter explains.
After graduation, Porter began a career focused on serving others. She spent two years in Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer. Porter returned home planning to go to law school and spent some years working in international development. Then the universe sent her in a new direction — entrepreneurship.
In 2021, she launched her own business, Ampersand Workspace, which provides clients with expert guidance on race and gender issues to create a more inclusive, open, productive workplace culture.
Porter says many aspects of Edith Renfrow Smith’s story are meaningful to her.
“She absolutely led the way for Black folks on campus, especially Black women — for us to be able to see ourselves in her story and know that it is achievable.”
Porter adds, “If she could do it back then, we definitely can do it now.”
Patricia Swansey ’74
Inspired to Improve Access to Justice
Patricia Swansey ’74 was one of three children born to parents who had migrated from Mississippi to Chicago. Her father died when she was 6 years old, but she remembers him urging her to think for herself and to chart her own path.
“We were taught early to be self-sufficient. We were taught to have pride and respect for ourselves,” Swansey says.
Coming to Grinnell from inner-city Chicago was a major culture shock, but she didn’t let it deter her. With the foundation her parents had given her, Swansey survived and thrived at Grinnell.
She credits Grinnell with teaching her skills she still uses every day, even decades later — critical thinking and good communication, both verbal and written.
After graduation, Swansey moved to Massachusetts, where she held several jobs in state government and community development. While writing her “umpteenth” grant application, Swansey had an epiphany — wouldn’t it be great to have a say in where the money goes?
With that in mind, she switched gears and eventually landed her current role with the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, which empowers justice by providing funding to civil legal aid programs statewide. Swansey has served as director of program monitoring and evaluation at MLAC for 27 years.
Using a peer review model, Swansey identifies legal aid program strengths and challenges and makes recommendations for improvement. She also administers a fellowship program that recruits recent law school graduates to public-interest law, where they improve access to justice for people who face barriers to obtaining legal assistance. Another fellowship supports seasoned attorneys who address racial injustice and the high rate of poverty and unmet legal needs of communities of color.
The story of Edith Renfrow Smith resonates with Swansey. “It’s the story of yet another Black person who has overcome or survived the challenges of being Black in America,” Swansey says.
“It’s a story of love. It’s a story of perseverance, courage, and strength.”
Alanna Tyler ’90
Inspired to Do Good
Gathering on Saturdays for choir rehearsals with the Young, Gifted, and Black Gospel Choir felt like coming home for Alanna Tyler ’90. When she needed to feel a sense of belonging and welcome as a Black woman at Grinnell, she turned to YGB. “Those Saturday choir rehearsals connected to the way I had grown up,” Tyler says.
She came to Grinnell from Chicago, where she grew up in a wonderful, nurturing community on the South Side. When she visited Grinnell, she immediately felt a connection with the College. “I had this immediate sense of just being able to see myself there,” Tyler says.
“I just felt like this could be my place — and I was right.”
At Grinnell, Tyler experienced many “glad surprises” (a nod to a quote from Black theologian Howard Thurman), such as connecting with people who came from all over the world, including Eva Gakonyo ’90 from Kenya and Dina Shah ’91 from Pakistan. With them and many others, Tyler found kinship and connection.
Tyler came to Grinnell “wired to be curious.” She let her curiosity run wild and discovered a keen interest in political science, which became her major. Although she wasn’t thinking that way at the time, it would serve her well in her “first career” working in state and local government — including 18 years with Hennepin County in Minnesota.
After graduating with a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Tyler was installed in 2018 as associate pastor for justice and mission at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis.
Her two careers are more connected than you might think. “Everything I’ve done professionally, I get to bring forward into my current role as clergy,” she says.
“I just get to do a lot of really wonderful, wonderful things,” Tyler continues. Speaking about the congregation’s role in building a loving, sustainable, and just community, she says, “Some days I’m overwhelmed, but most days I’m grateful that I have this really dynamic role where I seek to do good and invite others to do good.”
Tyler says Edith Renfrow Smith inspires her every day, thanks to a newspaper clipping posted in her office. It features a smiling photo of Renfrow Smith under the headline “At 109 and a Half, Master of Resilience.”
“Having learned her story, I am inspired to be resilient, too. I look at her and say, ‘Okay, here’s your example. Here’s your standard bearer.’” She adds, “It literally is a help and an encouragement to see her smiling face.”