Just the Beginning Foundation Archives

Dates: 1940-2008. Size: 78 linear feet. Accession #2000/03. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Just the Beginning Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to honor Judge James Benton Parsons, the first African American appointed to the U.S. District Court with life tenure. The foundation’s mission is to highlight the accomplishments of African Americans in the federal judiciary, and to provide education and outreach to youth on career opportunities in the legal profession. The archives include correspondence, administrative records, photographs, conference proceedings, biographical information on federal judges and audiovisual materials. An addition to the archives consists of the papers of Edward Toles, federal bankruptcy judge and former president of the National Bar Association. [Partially processed]