Joycelyn Elders Minnie Joycelyn Elders ( born Minnie Lee Jones on August 13 , 1933 ) is an American pediatrician and public health administrator . She was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the first African American appointed as Surgeon General of the United States . Elders is best known for her frank discussion of her views on controversial issues such as drug legalization and distributing contraception in schools . She was fired mid - term in December 1994 amidst controversy . She is currently a professor emerita of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences . Early life and education . Elders was born Minnie Lee Jones in Schaal , Arkansas , to a poor farm family , and was the eldest of eight children . In college , she changed her name to Minnie Joycelyn Lee . In 1952 , she received her B . S . degree in Biology from Philander Smith College in Little Rock , Arkansas , where she also pledged Delta Sigma Theta . After working as a nurse ' s aide in a Veterans Administration hospital in Milwaukee for a period , she joined the United States Army in May 1953 . During her 3 years in the Army , she was trained as a physical therapist . She then attended the University of Arkansas Medical School , where she obtained her M . D . degree in 1960 . After completing an internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital and a residency in pediatrics at the University of Arkansas Medical Center , Elders earned an Master degree in Biochemistry in 1967 . Career and Tenure as U . S . Surgeon General . Elders has received a National Institutes of Health career development award , also serving as assistant professor in pediatrics at the University of Arkansas Medical Center from 1967 . She was promoted to associate professor in 1971 and professor in 1976 . Her research interests focused on endocrinology , and she received board certification as a pediatric endocrinologist in 1978 , becoming the first person in the state of Arkansas to do so . Elders received a D . Sc . degree from Bates College in 2002 . In 1987 , then - Governor Bill Clinton appointed Elders as Director of the Arkansas Department of Health . Her accomplishments in this position included a tenfold increase in the number of early childhood screenings annually and almost a doubling of the immunization rate for two - year - olds in Arkansas . In 1992 , she was elected President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers . In January 1993 , Bill Clinton appointed her the United States Surgeon General , making her the first African American and the second woman ( following Antonia Novello ) to hold the position . She was a controversial choice and a strong backer of the Clinton health care plan , so she was not confirmed until September 7 , 1993 . As surgeon general , Elders quickly established a reputation for controversy . Like many of the surgeons general before her , she was an outspoken advocate of a variety of health - related causes . She argued for an exploration of the possibility of drug legalization and backed the distribution of contraceptives in schools . President Clinton stood by Elders , saying that she was misunderstood . Views on drug legalisation . Elders drew fire - and censure from the Clinton administration - when she suggested that legalizing drugs might help reduce crime and that the idea should be studied . On December 15 , 1993 , around one week after making these comments , charges were filed against her son Kevin , for selling cocaine in an incident involving undercover officers , four months prior . Elders believes the incident was a frame - up and the timing of the charges was designed to embarrass her and the president . Kevin Elders was convicted , and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison . He appealed his conviction to the Arkansas Supreme Court , and that court reaffirmed the conviction . The court held that Mr . Elders failed to show that he was entrapped into making the narcotics sale . There was no further appeal . Comments on human sexuality and termination . In 1994 , she was invited to speak at a United Nations conference on AIDS . She was asked whether it would be appropriate to promote masturbation as a means of preventing young people from engaging in riskier forms of sexual activity , and she replied , " I think that it is part of human sexuality , and perhaps it should be taught . " This remark caused great controversy and resulted in Elders losing the support of the White House . White House chief of staff Leon Panetta remarked , " There have been too many areas where the President does not agree with her views . This is just one too many . " Elders was fired by President Clinton as a result of the controversy in December 1994 . Elders had previously made a number of other statements that put her in the public spotlight , like her quote in January 1994 " We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus and start worrying about children . " A collection of her professional papers are held at the National Library of Maryland in Bethesda , Maryland . Post - Governmental Activities . Since leaving her post as surgeon general , she has returned to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as professor of pediatrics , and is currently professor emerita at UAMS . She is a regular on the lecture circuit , speaking against teen pregnancy . She has appeared on TV in during the episode on abstinence , where she says that she considers abstinence - only programs to be child abuse and discusses her opinions on teenage sex education , masturbation and contraceptives . She is interviewed in the 2013 documentary " How to Lose Your Virginity " on her opinions regarding comprehensive sex education versus abstinence - only sex education . Elders wrote a book in an attempt to present her side of the controversies that surrounded her during her 18 - month tenure as surgeon general . In an October 15 , 2010 article she clearly voiced support for legalization of marijuana :