National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Charles Smith

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today’s profile features Charles Smith, cemetery specialist and member of AFSCME Local 904.

Charles Smith is a member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe and works as a cemetary specialist at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island. His father, a veteran of three wars, is among those buried in the 125-acre cemetery. Smith leads the effort to erect the cemetery’s first monument to Native American veterans.