Audio clip from interview with J. David Hoggard, February 1, 1999

You want to talk about how the NAACP was perceived then compared to now? Was the NAACP the premier organization? Did it have the degree of respect that we usually associate with an organizations such as that? Yes, I think we did. There were naturally people who resented and resisted our program and the objectives we were setting up, trying to inspire the community to be a part of an organization that had fought for civil rights since 1909, continuing until 1927 when it received its charter. Arthur McCants was the first president. Those that wished to maintain the status quo perceived us as troublemakers. We went on and succeeded. Reverend William Stevens was the president of NAACP in '46-47. He used to go down Fremont Street, buy a Wall Street Journal, walk into a restaurant, and sit down at the counter. A city commissioner named Bob Baskin ran this particular restaurant. They would not serve him. He would just sit there and read the Wall Street Journal. Eventually somebody could come in and sit next to him at the counter and say good morning; it's a nice morning, isn't it? Reverend Stevens would reply yes, it would be if they would serve me here. Then they would say, oh, they don't serve you here? He did that on a regular basis. And they never served him there. He and his wife moved to Massachusetts. He went to Boston University to further his education. He was president of the branch at that time. One of the other very satisfying things was being involved with the Human Relations Commission. William Deutsch, who was an insurance agent, was its chairperson. It was an interracial committee appointed by the mayor or city manager, and was a result of successful integration of the city and the county. We were appointed. There was no funding for it. We had no authority, but it was an advisory board that met monthly. We heard complaints about segregation still existing in certain areas or certain places. We had a couple of ministers on the commission. Lubertha Johnson was on there. At various times, various people were named. We were effective in one-to-one relationships where there were incidents. It was all volunteer work on our part, but it was very satisfying. Sometimes we dealt with people who thought they were being discriminated against in employment, sometimes something about schools, the way the system was running and parents felt the child was not being trusted justly, those types of things. But as I said, we had no effect. It was a matter of trying to mediate these problems, and trying to get publicity. Those were two fulfilling experiences. I was on the Las Vegas Police Force for about three years. It was not a very satisfying experience for me. This was mainly because of the segregation, and the front that I encountered at within the police department, with coworkers as well as superior people.