Smith Robinson: The Experience of an African American in the Community of Healdsburg, California from 1920 to 1963

Smith Robinson relocated with his family to Healdsburg in early 1920, and was a member of the only resident African American family in the town of Healdsburg until his death in 1963. During his forty plus years as a Healdsburg resident, Smith Robinson earned respect and recognition as a community leader in Healdsburg during a time frame that overlapped much racial strife in the nearby community of Santa Rosa. This study will examine Smith Robinson's high status and regard in the Healdsburg community, and identify factors that distinguished his experiences from those of African American residents in nearby Santa Rosa. This study will rely on a number of sources on Smith Robinson that offer an understanding of his experience in the Healdsburg community. Information gathered will be compared with the more general social theories of social scientist, Hubert Blalock, in order to identify those factors most significant toward understanding Smith Robinson's experience in Healdsburg. Hubert Blalock' s power/ threat thesis offers a reasonable explanation of Smith Robinson's experience. Independent variables, however, such as Smith Robinson's upbringing and health condition were found to be equally significant explanatory functions. Thus, while Blalock's theories adequately explain Smith Robinson's experience, independent and unique variables provide far more insight into the wide range of historical factors that shaped Smith Robinson's experience in Healdsburg.