Ronald v. dellums

In 1956, at the end of his two–year enlistment in the Marines, he enrolled at Oakland City College, where he earned an associate’s degree in 1958. He continued his education at San Francisco State College, graduating with a B.A. in 1960. Two years later he was awarded a master’s degree in social work from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1962 he married Leola Roscoe Higgs, an attorney; the couple had a daughter, Piper, and two sons, Erik and Brandy.

After earning his master’s degree, Dellums worked in a series of social work jobs that promoted his involvement with community affairs and local politics in the Bay Area. He began his career as a psychiatric social worker for the California department of mental hygiene from 1962 to 1964. Between 1964 and 1968, Dellums directed several area programs, including the Bayview Community Center in San Francisco, Hunter’s Point Youth Opportunity Council, and the San Francisco Economic Opportunity Council. He later found employment at San Francisco State College and the University of California at Berkeley as a lecturer and was employed as a senior consultant for manpower programs at Social Dynamics, Inc., from 1968 through 1970.4 At the urging of friends and members of the community, Dellums made his first foray into politics when he sought and won a seat on the Berkeley city council in 1967. Asked to describe his approach to politics, he responded, “I’d listen and try to understand what people had to say, but then I’d act on my own beliefs. That’s the only way anyone should run for office.”

Throughout his career Dellums played a leading role in the anti-apartheid movement in Congress. In his second interview he describes his early involvement in the push for U.S. economic sanctions against South Africa, including getting arrested during a peaceful protest at the South African Embassy in Washington, DC. Dellums worked closely with the CBC to apply legislative pressure on the South African government to end apartheid. He offers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at how he skillfully shepherded a sanctions billthrough the House that few thought had a chance to pass. The California Congressman also recalls the first time he met Nelson Mandela and how he had the privilege of escorting the anti-apartheid activist and first president of the new democratic government of South Africa onto the House Floor for a Joint Session of Congress.