Lolita Brown Fletcher - Black UCI Alumni Oral History Project

"I am from the LA/Inglewood area. I am a first generation college student. I am the first of my parents combined twelve children to attend college. I am French, Spanish and Black or Creole. I come from a broken home and my mother struggled to keep food on the table and the bills paid. My high school's test rankings were so low that it is amazing that any of us could go on to college and succeed, yet we did. I was determined to succeed. While I did well in high school and college, school did not come easy for me and I had to really study in order to pass my classes. I also worked my entire four years of college, sometimes as many as 30 hour per week.

My extra curricular activities kept me very motivated and interested in the college experience. The extra curricular activities allowed me to find like minded black folks that I could relate to and gave me a sense of belonging and community. I was a Women's Peer Counselor and Founder of the Black Women's Support Group. I served as BSU Co-Chair, was a Resident Assistant for the SPOP Introductory Weekend, and a Summer Educational Opportunity Program Resident Assistant (SEOP). I joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in my Sophomore year. I won the Outstanding Community Service Award in my graduating year, 1984. I was honored to be a part of the first Marches on Irvine during the Martin Luther King holiday weekends and delivered a speech at the March held in 1983.

I am pleased to say that my daughter, Cristen Fletcher, Esq., also attended UCI for both undergrad and law school and that she is now on the Board of the Black Alumni Chapter as a Member-At-Large.

I am one of the Founders of the Black Alumni Chapter and currently serve as its Executive Vice President. I also serve on the African American Alumni Council Board as Legal Counsel, a 501 (c)3 organization, created after the elimination of Affirmative Action by Proposition 209. My favorite and most rewarding tasks on these Boards include reading scholarship applications and selecting worthy students to award scholarships to and the creation of programs that connect with students and other alumni.

Giving back through leadership, mentorship and programming is what I was meant to do. It gives me great joy.

Professionally, I practice employment law, serve as a Human Resources Consultant, investigate employment matters at private and public entities, teach Employment Discrimination Law and a Special Education/IEP (Individualized Education Program) Class and Legal Clinic.

My fondest memories of UC Irvine are of the fun Sorority and Fraternity dances that we used to have and hanging with my friends, some of whom continue to be my very best friends today."