Margo Jefferson

Margo Jefferson was born into a group of blacks she referred to as “Negroland.” These were the elite among the Negro society at the time, and her parents fit right in. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a social worker, though she spent her time making a home and raising her two daughters. With this background, Jefferson learned what was expected and acceptable as a child, but found she had almost a complete change of attitude as an adult.

Jefferson, her sister Denise, and their peers were taught that it was appropriate to show off only if that action brought pride to your family and your race. She attended a private schools with only a few other Negro students. While she was still a child, she discovered that she did not always catch on to racial slurs and she felt horrible that she...