’I’m continuing their legacy’: Son of civil rights case plaintiff earns Sac State award
Fighting for an education is in Jeffrey Benson’s lineage.
Growing up in Topeka, Kansas in the 1960s, his family played key roles on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement.
His mother, aunt and grandmother were part of the 13 plaintiffs in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case, which was responsible for the desegregation of American schools. His father, too, was a student at the once segregated Monroe Elementary School, the focal point of the Supreme Court case.
Seventy one years later after that monumental case, Benson stood on a stage at Golden 1 Center, in front of thousands of Sacramento State graduates, to receive his President’s Medal, the university’s highest honor.
Adorned in a long black robe and cap, a golden graduation stash with a Kente cloth pattern, this was the day Benson worked to achieve.
“I’m continuing their legacy,” Benson, 61, said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee. “The academic journey as an adult meant that I had to work harder because the landscape for me was pretty competitive in that sense, as a non-conventional pathway.”
Benson’s journey to college wasn’t linear. He spent years working retail and in sales, had a career as a jazz musician, spent time as a nonprofit leader in Oakland and had a stint as a delivery driver. Years went by before Benson was a student again. It took him four or five attempts through a 25 year period, he said.
When he moved back to Sacramento from the Bay Area, he decided to give college a try. He recalled seeing the sign of American River College on his long commutes across the city. While studying at American River College and Sacramento City College, Benson recalls hanging a cap and gown in his office. One day he would wear it, and he would get his degree.
Throughout his time as a student, he never forgot about where he came from.
“I want to honor them as well as part of this journey,” Benson said. “That’s how I do that, by just showing up and being the best version of myself every single time.”
He graduated from the community colleges in 2023 through American River College’s Accelerated College Education program, which assists working adults in completing their course units. Benson would transfer to Sacramento State a year later. He knew the campus as one of the locations he delivered freight to in the 1990s. Watching through the hallways of the campus, Sacramento State just felt right, he said.
“Everyday I walked in my office, I see it hanging there as a remembrance,” Benson said. “When I got close to graduating at Sac State, I kept track of my grades and what’s coming up next. I watched the class curriculum shrinking. And I was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is actually happening.’”
Benson now holds a bachelor’s degree in Career and Technical Studies, graduating summa cum laude. In May, Benson was awarded the honor by President Luke Wood.
The President’s Award is granted to the college’s “most outstanding graduate,” Wood said during Sacramento State’s College of Education commencement last month. The award’s recipient is a student who demonstrates “exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to making a difference,” Wood added.
“Jeffrey Benson exemplifies all these qualities and so much more,” Wood said. “His life journey embodies the very essence of persistence, purpose, and transformative vision.”
Sacramento State wrote in a news release that Benson won the award through “ a life of purpose and perseverance.” Described as a “lifelong civil rights advocate,” and a “disruptor” to the status quo.
Greg Shaw, who was Benson’s interim dean in the College of Education, said in a news release that his presence was “marked by intellectual maturity and an inclusive mindset,”
“He navigated complex and sensitive topics with grace, helping foster a safe environment for classmates to explore issues around education, equity and social justice,” Shaw said.
Benson is continuing his studies at the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. One day, he hopes to continue his advocacy and civil rights activism through policy.
This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM.
