All Oral Histories
An Interview with W.C. Jefferson (part one)
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Interview Date
9-26-2023
Description
"So what it is, is that we're not all born equal, but what we all should have is a chance to be the best we can be." -- Jeff Jefferson
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The first part of Jefferson’s oral history took place via Zoom on September 26, 2023. Jefferson started by discussing his undergraduate education at Central State in Ohio, where he participated in ROTC. Afterwards, he joined the army and completed two tours in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He then discussed starting law school and how he balanced work and family during his 1L year. Jefferson described a meeting with then-Dean James Whyte, and the effort to recruit more Black students that resulted from it. The last bit of the interview touched on law school facilities, class and faculty, and the namesake of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA).
Run Time
01:11:53
Keywords
African American lawyers, Black law students, Black Law Students Association (formerly BALSA), Hughes Aircraft Company, Law school buildings and facilities, Law school community, Law school deans, Military to civilian life, Minority college students--Recruiting, Negotiation, ROTC, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam War 1961-1975, Working students, Charles Harper Anderson, John Donaldson, Richard Josephson, Elsie Munsell, Robert E. Scott, Chartles E. Tortia, James P. Whyte Jr.
Local Identifier
OH.2023.007
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright for these materials remains with their narrator. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Recommended Citation
Jefferson, W.C. and Clark, Brendan, "An Interview with W.C. Jefferson (part one)" (2023). All Oral Histories. 8.
https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/oralhist_all/8
Comments
A transcript and guide to the oral history are available as additional files, above.
View part two of the oral history interview.