Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, class of 1973 Rogeriee Thompson, class of 1973 Thompson, Ojetta Rogeriee interviewee Byrd, Derria Monique interviewer mixed material 1994-11-07 eng Rogeriee starts by detailing her two high school experiences, how they led her to Brown, and how they gave her Ivy League expectations. She then explains what it was like to be part of the first class of the New Curriculum; her exposure to new things; interracial dating. It was a time of Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, striking, the Black Arts Festival, a push for increased minority enrollment—and she recalls how exciting it was to be a student. Looking back, she stresses the importance of taking advantage of being able to make connections and explains the very strong sense of community there was among black students. She talks about support from her friends; working as a professor’s maid; cooking at the Gate; the uselessness of deans; the racial tensions; the benefits of a Brown education; going to law school; starting her own practice. She ends by reflecting on the dichotomy she felt between being a militant fighter for the black community and continuing her education at a white Ivy League school 1973 Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson was born on August 8, 1951 in South Carolina. She graduated from Brown University in 1973 with a degree in English, before attending law school at Boston University. After law school, she worked in both private practice and in public service and, then, as associate judge at the Rhode Island State Superior Court. In 2009, she was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit by President Barack Obama. Today, in addition to her judiciary work, Thompson serves on the Brown University Board of Fellows, Brown\u2019s Civic Leadership Council, and the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence. Outside of Providence, Thompson is a board member for College Unbound, is on the Save the Bay Leadership Council, and is a member of the First Circuit Judicial Council and the Judicial Conference of the United States Committee on Information Technology and Budget Subcommittee. 1970s Academics Activism Administration Civil rights Dating Deans Employment Integration Marriage Minority students Politics Professors Providence Race relations Segregation Social life Vietnam War oral histories (literary works)