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Clint Smith
Clint Smith helps organizations confront historical narratives and build inclusive cultures through honest dialogue on race, memory, and systemic inequality. A bestselling author and scholar, Clint equips leaders with frameworks for diversity and inclusion work, backed by New York Times recognition and national acclaim.
Clint Smith is a writer and scholar whose work reshapes how Americans understand the legacy of slavery and its ongoing influence on contemporary life.
His book How the Word Is Passed debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was named one of the Times' 10 Best Books of the Year. The New York Times Book Review called it "an extraordinary contribution to the way we understand ourselves." Through visits to plantations and other historical sites, Clint built a narrative framework that connects past to present with precision and care.
Clint's research and storytelling give audiences a practical lens for examining how history is told, who tells it, and what gets left out. By tracing the stories embedded in specific places, he shows how incomplete narratives shape policy, culture, and identity. His work equips organizations, educators, and leaders with language and context to engage more honestly with difficult histories rather than avoiding them.
Audiences leave Clint's talks with a clearer understanding of how historical narratives are constructed, concrete examples of how confronting the past can inform better decisions today, and a framework for approaching difficult conversations about race and memory with both honesty and purpose.
Book Clint Smith to give your audience the tools and courage to reckon with history and build from it.
Clint Smith brings the rigour of a scholar and the clarity of a storyteller who turned How the Word Is Passed into a number one bestseller by showing how historical narratives shape present-day policy and culture. His work gives leadership teams the language and framework to engage honestly with difficult histories rather than sidestepping them, which proves essential for organisations navigating conversations about race, memory, and institutional legacy.
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Clint Smith structures his talks around site-based research, drawing on visits to plantations and other historical locations to build a narrative that connects specific places to broader questions about how history is constructed and who controls its telling.
Clint Smith speaks on the construction of historical narratives, the legacy of slavery in contemporary life, race and memory, and the role of place in shaping how history is told and understood. His book How the Word Is Passed debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was named one of the Times' 10 Best Books of the Year.
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