Edith Renfrow Smith worked hard for her education. Born and raised in the small town of Grinnell, her mother made learning a high priority for all of her children, telling them to value what they learned, because no one could take knowledge away from them.
"That belongs to you,” said Renfrow Smith in a 2024 interview with Iowa Public Radio. “Why do you think the Lord gave you your brain? That's for you to use.”
When Renfrow Smith was accepted into Grinnell College in town, she didn’t let financial or racial barriers stop her from earning her diploma. She majored in psychology and minored in economics and sociology.
“She got two jobs to help pay her way, lived at home, walked back and forth to campus — a mile each way — and made it happen,” said author Monique Shore. “She was the only Black student on the entire campus for all four years that she attended.”
Shore wrote a children’s book about Renfrow Smith’s life, called No One is Better than You. The title is based on the advice she received from her mother.
“She told us all the time. ‘No one is better than you, not even the president of the United States.’” Renfrow Smith told IPR. “And you know, whatever Mama said was right.”
After becoming the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell, in 1937, Renfrow Smith moved to Chicago, where she got married, raised two children and worked as a public school teacher, continuing to inspire a love for education.
Why do you think the Lord gave you your brain? That's for you to use.
Shore said she saw how students were moved by interactions with Renfrow Smith and hearing her mantra.
“You can just see the shoulders get pulled back a little bit, the heads a little higher just remembering that, yeah, nobody's better than you are,” Shore said.
When Renfrow Smith was 110, Grinnell College dedicated Renfrow Hall to honor her. The celebration included a parade, local students welcoming her with handmade signs and more than 50 of her family members traveling to small town Iowa for the occasion. Renfrow Smith got true celebrity treatment, including being flown out on a private jet.
Her memory is being further preserved by Team Renfrow. The group is researching the history of the entire Renfrow family, one of the oldest Black families in Grinnell. At least two of Renfrow Smith’s grandparents were born in slavery. Her grandfather George Craig escaped slavery in Missouri to join John Brown and travel to freedom in Canada, before returning to Iowa.
Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, faculty Lead of Team Renfrow, said Renfrow Smith was the steward of family stories since she was a little girl.
"Our memories are often held in our stories. They are our keepsakes. And it's just been a joy to be able to broaden our sense of what Grinnell is and also to see how much her family is part of American history,” said Beauboeuf-Lafontant.
On a visit to Grinnell about 10 years ago, Renfrow Smith brought a shoebox full of family photos for the digital archive of Grinnell’s public library.
“We sat in the back room and scanned photos and heard her stories, and we've been friends ever since,” said Shore, who is also a member of Team Renfrow. “A couple months later, she sent me a box of homemade fudge for Christmas, and that was the first of many homemade gifts that I've received from this truly delightful and wonderful woman.”
In the Iowa Famous series, we're highlighting people with all types of connections to our state who have made an impact in arts, politics, social justice, education, sports and more. View all the Iowa Famous stories here. Have an idea of someone we should feature? Email talkofiowa@iowapublicradio.org.
