Smith participated in the formation of the Afro-American Society, the predecessor to the Association of Pan African Unity (APAU), and was part of the silent sit-in protest on a staircase in Mary Lyon Hall to demand physical space on campus for Black students to build community, retreat, and socialize. On December 15, 1968 Smith was one of three select Black students who traveled to New York City to petition the Board of Trustees for a Black Cultural Center, which the Board approved.