Abstract
Oral history interview with Steve Johnson conducted by Fred Reagan on March 20, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Johnson discusses his exposure to African American racial discrimination and segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s to the 1970s. He discusses these experiences in markets, theaters, casinos, employment, and in common social interactions. Johnson also discusses the slow progression of social acceptance to racial integration and African Americans entering professional fields.
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Scope and Contents Note
Oral history interview with Steve Johnson conducted by Fred Reagan on March 20, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In the interview, Johnson discusses his exposure to African American racial discrimination and segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1950s to the 1970s. Johnson goes through the city’s history, focusing on the changes in attitude of both black and white communities. Johnson articulates the frustrations and liberation of the African-American community in connection to the types of employment available, segregation in the Westside and in public establishments, and the mobility in society afforded by education, or lack thereof. Johnson shares his personal growth and education as a juvenile counselor. Johnson spends the last third of the interview speaking about the Civil Rights Movement, drugs in black communities and the need to chip away at the prevalence of racism. Digital audio and transcript available.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. Where use copies do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted; this may delay research requests. Advanced notice is required.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.
Preferred Citation
Steve Johnson oral history interview, 1978 March 20. OH-00959. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
University of Nevada, Las Vegas History Professor Ralph Roske donated materials for this oral history project to UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in the 1980s.
Processing Note
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2017. Jimmy Chang wrote the collection description. The audio cassette(s) for this interview have been reformatted by an external vendor into a digital format. MP3 files of the audio are available for research use. This interview was transcribed and edited by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives as part of an ongoing effort to transcribe legacy interviews. This interview transcript received minimal editing and all measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. A digital version (PDF) of the transcript is available for research use.