2009-03-23

Center for Public History, University of Houston; University of Houston Libraries, University of Houston

This is an oral history interview with Deloris "Marie" Johnson conducted as part of the Houston History Project. Deloris offered an insight into the class of 1958 at Yates High School. She was a student who lived through the civil rights activities and was propelled into involvement when she went off to college. Her life as an active student in a strong spirited school was contrasted with her inability to sit in a downtown restaurant or ride a bus outside the "colored" seats. She was a happy, intelligent student who lived in fear that the movement for equality would turn violent, sparking race riots like in other cities in the South. Her story exemplifies a fierce rejection of the status whites gave blacks. As her high school principle, William Holland, said, "You have got to be prepared. You can't just be as good as the whites, you have to be better." Interviewer: Reed Amadon.

interviews

African Americans; Civil rights; Johnson, Deloris M.

Houston, Texas

Oral Histories from the Houston History Project

University of Houston Libraries Special Collections

English

Collection
University of Houston Libraries Special Collections
Houston History Archives
Oral Histories from the Houston History Project

Preservation Location: ark:/84475/pm50859f31w