Mary Carter Smith (born 1919, died April 24, 2007) was a noted American educator helped revive storytelling as an educational tool. She graduated from Coppin State University and was a teacher in the Baltimore City Public School system for thirty-one years. Additionally, she was a co-founder of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Maryland, founding member of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America, the Arena Players theatre company and the Griots’ Circle of Maryland. She hosted a Saturday morning radio program, “Griot for the Young and the Young at Heart” and, in 1983 Mary Smith was named the official Griot of Baltimore City and, in 1991, the official Griot of Maryland.
Awards & Notable Achievements
- 1985 awarded the Zora Neale Hurston Award
- Founded The National Association for Black Storytelling, Inc.
- 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award and The Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association
- Her image is celebrated at the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland
