Courageous Journey: The Story of Joycelyn Elders tells the life story of former Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders from the cotton fields of rural Arkansas through the halls of power in Washington, D.C. The film follows Dr. Elders' story from childhood to her life today and focuses on her controversial work while serving as the Director of the Arkansas Health Department in the late 1980s to establish school-based clinics and comprehensive sex education.