Juanita Jackson Mitchell interview

Description

Juanita Jackson Mitchell (1913-1992) was born to Lillie May Jackson and Kieffer Albert Jackson in Arkansas, and then raised and educated primarily in Baltimore, Maryland. After attending the University of Pennsylvania for her bachelor's and master’s degrees, Mitchell returned to Baltimore to become the first Black woman to attend the University of Maryland Law School and then the first to practice law in the state of Maryland. In this oral history interview, Mitchell discusses her legal work done on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) alongside her mother, as well as her mother’s religiously-influenced philosophy within the organization. She explains how her mother’s world-view and values guided both of their careers and accomplishments. Mitchell also provides personal insight into her relationship with her mother and her family; she shares anecdotes about everything from piano lessons to how her mother addressed “the birds and bees.”