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Info: Major General Marcia Anderson discusses her life and her career as the highest ranking female African American in the history of the United States Army. Anderson describes growing up in impoverished East Saint Louis, Illinois. She tells of her mother and grandmother’s efforts to get enough money to send her and her brother to Catholic schools. She states her love of reading as a child instilled the curiosity in her to continue her education. She went on to obtain a law degree from Rutgers School of Law. General Anderson speaks about the 1948 Executive Order by President Harry Truman to desegregate the armed forces and explains the differences between the regular U.S. Army and the reserve Army. She also relates her view of being a female officer in a traditional male environment, and shares her secrets for becoming a trusted leader. Her current assignment is to modify Army Reserve policies to smooth a soldier’s transition from civilian life to active duty and back again.
