Description
Valvia Jefferson was born in post-war California to parents who had migrated from Arkansas. Her family worked in nearby shipyards, but stayed in the area and quickly became enmeshed into growing the African American community in the East Bay. As a child, Jefferson was among the very first African American students to attend the previously segregated Maritime Nystrom School in Richmond, California. In this interview, she describes some of her earliest memories as a young student attending the school, as well as memories of her family and the Richmond community in the post-war era.