Cecilia Suyat Marshall oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Washington, D.C., 2013-06-30.

Summary: Cecilia Suyat Marshall recalls moving from Hawaii to New York where she found a job as a secretary with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1948. Marshall notes some of the highlights of her experiences at the NAACP offices, including the organization's victory in the Brown v. Board case, traveling the South with NAACP staff, and attending conferences. There she met the many local people who gave the Civil Rights Movement strength. She left the organization after her marriage to Thurgood Marshall, and with that departure became more of a mother and wife than an activist, but retained her activist spirit with membership on the boards of progressive organizations.
Biographical History: Cecilia Suyat Marshall, a Filipino born in Hawaii, came to the United States in 1948. She worked as a secretary for the NAACP before marrying civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall.
Acquisition Note: The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.
Existence and Location of Copies: Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).
Conditions Governing Access: Collection is open for research. Access to recordings may be restricted. To request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact.
Related Archival Materials: Artifacts associated with the interview are at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.