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Contemporary Jewish Museum

The Fabric of Heritage: Matthew Smith and Tracey Panek on Al Smith's Jacket

Sunday, July 25, 2021 | 11:30am

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2021-07-25 11:30:00 UTC2021-07-25 23:00:00 UTC America/Los_AngelesThe CJM - 736 Mission St, San Francisco, CAThe Fabric of Heritage: Matthew Smith and Tracey Panek on Al Smith's JacketThere’s a new addition to Levi Strauss: A History of American Style with a remarkable story behind it: a denim jacket belonging to Al Smith, a Klamath tribal member who was a key figure in shaping U.S. laws around religious freedom. In this gallery chat, Smith’s son, Matthew Smith, and Levi Strauss & Co. Historian Tracey Panek talk about the jacket, its meaning, and the history behind it.

There’s a new addition to Levi Strauss: A History of American Style with a remarkable story behind it: a denim jacket belonging to Al Smith, a Klamath tribal member who was a key figure in shaping U.S. laws around religious freedom. In this gallery chat, Smith’s son, Matthew Smith, and Levi Strauss & Co. Historian Tracey Panek talk about the jacket, its meaning, and the history behind it.

This hand-embellished jacket was worn by Alfred (Al) Leo Smith, who worked as a drug and alcohol counselor in Indigenous communities throughout the state. Smith was the lead plaintiff in a landmark 1990 Supreme Court First Amendment case that, several years later, led to the passing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, resulting in the Congressional reaffirmation of the right of Americans generally to freely exercise their religion, and the right of Native Americans specifically to participate in religious ceremonies involving the ritual use of peyote. Smith received the jacket as a gift from his children, Matthew Smith and Maurine (Smith) Napoleon in the early 2000s.

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About the Speakers

Tracey Panek is the Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. She manages the day-to-day workings of the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives as a key corporate asset, answering historical questions and assisting designers, brand managers, executives, and other employees whose work requires historical materials from the Archives. She is a regular contributor to Unzipped, the company’s blog, where she writes about company history, vintage Levi’s® garments, and behind-the-scenes highlights. Panek is also the media spokesperson for Levi Strauss & Co. heritage.

Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co., Tracey spent fourteen years as Historian and Archivist at AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah where she managed a corporate history program for the 100+-year-old company. She began her corporate history career at AirTouch Communications—today Verizon and Vodafone—a San Francisco-based company that launched cellular service at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

Matthew Smith (Klamath/Modoc/Chasta) was born 1957 and raised in Portland, Oregon. He is the second son of Al and Dorleen Smith. Smith is the president of Kimi-Wa Inc. (meaning “New Day” or “New Beginning” in the Sahaptin language, a Columbian Basin Indigenous language), a nonprofit organization founded to provide exceptional low-income housing for the elderly. He is the owner of a fifty-unit affordable retirement living complex built in 1984 through the vision, dedication, and efforts of the Native American people of Portland, OR; the Urban Indian Council; and financing secured from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Smith is a retired commercial carpenter, after a thirty-five year career in the trade. He is a retired tennis player and instructor, having been the president of the Pacific Native American Tennis Association and the North American Indian Tennis Association, and a retired Native Rezballer.

Smith is married to Karen “Therese” Moore, an internationally-recognized singer-songwriter and NAMMY nominated artist, and is a father of four and grandfather of twelve. He is an avid reader, lover of great music, astronomer, rock hound, and artist, who always enjoys a good bowl of pho!

About the Exhibition

In 1873, at the end of the California Gold Rush, Levi Strauss & Co., named for a Bavarian Jewish dry goods merchant in San Francisco, obtained a U.S. patent with tailor Jacob Davis on the process of putting metal rivets in men’s denim work pants to increase their durability. It was the birth of the blue jean. The CJM original exhibition Levi Strauss: A History of American Style showcases the life of Levi Strauss, the invention of the blue jean, and their iconic place in the history of American style.

Seven women in cowboy hats lined up wearing Levi's jeans

“Showing their Levi’s” postcard from the California Rodeo Salinas (July 13–16, 1939), 1939. Levi Strauss & Co. Archives

Support for Levi Strauss: A History of American Style is generously provided by Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt; Gaia Fund; John Pritzker Family Fund; Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund; Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund; Mimi and Peter Haas Fund; The David Berg Foundation; John & Marcia Goldman Foundation; Suzanne and Elliott Felson; Colleen and Robert D. Haas; Dana Corvin and Harris Weinberg, in honor of Paulette Meyer and David Friedman, and Catherine and James Koshland; Kendra and Tom Kasten, in honor of Robert D. Haas; Michael Righi; Dorothy R. Saxe; David Saxe; Marilyn and Murry Waldman; and Rosanne and Al Levitt.

Lead Corporate Sponsorship is provided by Levi’s^®.

Media Sponsorship is provided by the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED. In-kind support is provided by Corduroy Media.