Eddie Smith is responsible for the Black Stunmen's Association

Eddie Smith made unsung history

The name Eddie Smith may not be familiar to most people but he is an unsung African American entertainer. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 1, 1924 and began his acting career in 1955. He appeared in the films Live and Let Die (1973), Do the Right Thing (1989) and The Nutty Professor (1996).

The Trump administration has taken steps to decrease knowledge of diversity from the US government. This is why it is essential for individuals to share facts about all cultures for those who are interested. Whatever makes you diverse or is related to your ethnicity it's up to you to share with the world. The US government cannot stop Black History or the history of others in thsi nation from being told. They can only affect things from the governmental perspective.

Smith's face may be familiar to some because he played a soldier in the television series Gomer Pyle, USMC, who was usually in the background in the barracks. He also portrayed an Enterprise Sciences crewman in the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Corbomite Maneuver." The scene was filmed on Thursday, June 2, 1966 at Desilu Studio Stage nine. As a background performer, he was not credited for his role.

The BSA comes to life

Smith passed away on June 1, 2005, in San Diego, California and he he leaves a legacy that benefits men of color in Hollywood. Eddie was a co-founder of the Black Stuntmen's Association (BSA) which was born out of humiliation and necessity.

He was working as an extra in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" in 1963, when he saw a white stuntman being made up as the double for black actor Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Smith considered it an insult, and was inspired to establish the Black Stuntmen's Association.

Lets' put this in perspective. White stuntmen wore blackface and pretended to be African Americans rather than use actual men of color to do the stunts.

Bill Cosby played a role

The Black Stuntmen’s Association was formed in 1967 to counter the racial discrimination faced by stuntmen and stuntwomen of color. Sitting president of the BSA Willie Harris and the surviving members of the Association have been recognized for their success in the stunt work industry.

Bill Cosby spearheaded the prominence of Black stuntmen when he starred in the hit series I Spy. Cosby refused to allow a white stuntman “painted down” to appear as his stunt double. This led to Smith, Harris, Alex Brown, and Henry King forming the BSA in 1967.

It all began in Compton, California

These Black males started meeting regularly at Athens Park in Compton. California and formed the ambitious plan of becoming Hollywood stuntmen that changed their lives and future generations.

At first, the men who gathered in Athens Park met after getting off work at their day jobs, according to Alex Brown, who was part of that group. “We would meet up in the evening and we were doing jumping jacks and with the help of a few people learn how to throw punches,” he said.

The significance of the BSA

The significance of this is that White stuntmen and women had onyl to apply for jobs without the added burden of being rejected because of their ethnicity. They also did nto have to watch people of a different culture represent them.

Please think of how many White actors portrayed Native Americans while real Natives were not allowed to play themselves in film and on TV. There is a Facebook page for the organization for those who would like more up to date information.