Meet Our 2025 Legacy in Motion Awardee: Cameron Smith —Honoring Heritage and Building for the Future”

The Legacy in Motion Award recognizes women who are actively shaping history through advocacy, leadership, and service while remaining deeply rooted in the legacy of those who came before them. This year, we are proud to honor Cameron Smith, a Cornell University student whose vision and work are already impacting generations.

Cameron’s story is one of intentional leadership and meaningful service. A rising changemaker, her work is grounded in history, community, and personal truth.

“My decision to apply for Wanawake Wa Wari, a Black women cooperative living house established in 1965, was not made lightly,” she writes. “I was first introduced to the house through a close friend and mentor, Alana Berry. What I didn’t realize then was how the very conversations she once had with me would come full circle. I’d soon be the one passing that same wisdom down to young members of Wari. This, to me, is how legacy works.”

From serving as Alumni Outreach Chair at Wari House—raising over $3,000 in donations, curating archival materials, and fostering intergenerational connections—to leading Black Students United (BSU) as President, Cameron has consistently honored the past while building for the future. Through BSU’s signature Sankofa event, Cameron connected Cornell students to their cultural roots, even sharing a personal essay reflecting on a transcript of her great-great-grandfather’s life and legacy.

Beyond the titles and accolades, Cameron emphasizes that leadership lives in the everyday.

“Leadership is about how we show up for others each day. It’s the little things. It’s being vulnerable enough to stretch yourself, so you can help stretch someone else.”

She co-founded the ILR Black Student Union, led reforms on Cornell’s Office of Ethics, helped increase participation in the Southside Mentorship Program, and advocated for financial aid reform and culturally responsive dining during Black History Month. These initiatives were not only impactful, they were necessary, and they created tangible change for the students who will come after her.

As Angela Davis reminded a crowd at a BSU event Cameron helped host,

“Each generation will define their new way of justice. It’s important to do what you believe now—and then—is right.”

Cameron Smith is doing just that. We are honored to recognize her as our 2025 Legacy in Motion Awardee—a woman turning purpose into progress, and legacy into motion.