Joycelyn Elders held the position of U.S. Surgeon General from 1993 through 1994, when she was forced to resign amidst intense controversy.

Joycelyn Elders was born Minnie Lee Jones on August 13, 1933, the oldest of her parents' eight children. As was the case for many poor black families of the time, Elders was born at home in Schaal, Arkansas. Her parents were sharecroppers, who picked cotton. Her father also supported the family by killing raccoons. This supplied the family with a source of food, as well as bringing in a little money when he could sell the pelts to Sears. Elders's family home was a three-room cabin that lacked indoor plumbing and electricity.

Elders showed her intelligence early on, as her mother taught her to read by age four. By age five, Elders was picking cotton in the fields in the early morning, and then walking five miles to catch...