David Branch
Ep. 27 — A young African American raised on an Arkansas farm overcomes poverty and racial discrimination and finds his voice fighting for the underprivileged / David Branch, Employment Attorney, David Branch Law Firm. Dear Listeners, The New Year brings a new season of When It Mattered, my podcast examining how leaders and pioneers are forged from critical moments in their lives. I’m thrilled to launch Season Two with the inspiring story of Washington D.C. attorney, David Branch, a descendant of the extraordinary Branch family in Arkansas, with a lineage nearly 600-members strong. The great-great-grandson of a slave from Africa, Victoria Wakefield, Branch was raised on a farm in rural Arkansas with eight siblings on his parent’s meager income of $10,000 a year. The farm was just two hours from historic Elaine, Arkansas, where, in 1919, a dispute between black farmers attempting to organize a union resulted in the deadly massacre of 200 African American men, women, and children by white Arkansans. The poverty, racial discrimination and the fearful stories of the Eliane race riots that were passed down through generations of the Branch family, deeply affected David. But David overcame his insecurities and became one of 70 Branch first cousins to attend college. It wasn't easy. “I went to Southern Methodist University and that's a very wealthy school in Dallas,” says Branch, “So from a $10,000-family income to sitting next to millionaires and people who were driving Mercedes and BMWs at campus, that was really difficult to adjust to and just the whole mindset of people from financial means such as that.” Branch moved to Washington D.C. to go to law school and found his voice as an employment attorney fighting for the underprivileged. In his free time, Branch is dedicated to giving back to the community in a very big way, through many charitable activities, both in Washington D.C. and around the globe. I hope you enjoy this heart-warming story of David Branch, a pioneer in a pioneering family. With Warm Regards, Chitra Ragavan Tanscript Download the PDF Chitra Ragavan: David Branch was raised on a farm in rural Arkansas with eight siblings on his parents' meager income of $10,000 a year. The great, great grandson of a slave from Africa who was committed to education, Branch pulled up his Arkansas roots to go to college in Dallas and then law school in Washington, D.C. confronting great adversity in the process. Chitra Ragavan: Hello, everyone. I'm Chitra Ragavan, and this is When It Mattered. This episode is brought to you by Goodstory, an advisory firm helping technology startups find their narrative. Chitra Ragavan: Today, Branch is a prominent employment attorney and head of the David Branch Law firm. He has a deep commitment to giving back to his community and is passionate about fighting for clients who are confronting racism or other forms of discrimination, much like he did when he set off to get that education and create a life that would do his great-great-grandma proud. David, welcome to the podcast. David Branch: Good morning. Welcome. Thank you. Chitra Ragavan: You come from an extraordinary lineage, one of 600 descendants of the Branch family. Let's start with your great-great-grandmother, Victoria Wakefield. She was a slave who paved the path for hundreds of Branches to seek education, much of it against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and busing. David Branch: Yes, that's correct. My great-great-grandmother Victoria Wakefield was a slave in Florida at first, and then she was later sold into slavery in Vicksburg, Mississippi. And from Vicksburg, Mississippi after the civil war, she moved to Arkansas and it's the part of Arkansas known as the Mississippi Delta. David Branch: And my great-great-grandmother married a civil war veteran. His name was Henry Wakefield. And after Mr. Wakefield passed away,