"Sisterhood" between two female law students
Here, Howorth offers a brief, humorous anecdote about her years in law school at the University of Mississippi. When Howorth attended Ole Miss for law school, she was one of only two female students. In this excerpt, she explains one of the ways in which she and the other woman bonded together, connoting a sense of "sisterhood" that helped them to get through the male-dominated institution.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Lucy Somerville Howorth, June 20, 22, and 23, 1975. Interview G-0028. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- CONSTANCE MYERS:
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You were the only two women. That's why I singled her out to comment on and ask you questions about.
- LUCY SOMERVILLE HOWORTH:
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I took quite an interest in her and did what I could to help her. All the class laughed one day, I knew, you see, that she had been out the__night before and I knew that she hadn't cracked a book. So, that particular class, the faculty member was a fine man, but very methodical and he called on everybody a certain number of times. So, he worked down, he followed the alphabet, he worked down to where she was next. I asked a question and got an argument going and took up the rest of the period. The boys knew what I was doing, they all knew that she had been out at a party.
- CONSTANCE MYERS:
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That's real sisterhood.
- LUCY SOMERVILLE HOWORTH:
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Some of them, you know, had been to the party. (laughter) So when we left the building that day, I said, "Vivian, you go home and you study because you are going to be the first one called on tomorrow and you be sure and know what you are doing." So, she did.
- CONSTANCE MYERS:
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And she got through all right.
- LUCY SOMERVILLE HOWORTH:
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Oh yes, she got through.
