charles smith was born in new orleans in 1940 to bertha mary smith. when smith was 14 his father was drowned in a hate crime. his mother moved him and his two sisters to chicago after his father's racially motivated murder. they lived in the diverse maxwell street district near 14th street. a year later, in 1955, mrs. smith took charles to view the body of emmett till at the roberts temple church of god. these experiences helped to seed smith's understanding of racism in the states.