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Oral History Interview with Guy B. Johnson, July 22, 1990. Interview A-0345. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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  • Abstract
    Sociologist Guy B. Johnson recalls the string of lucky breaks that brought him to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a career as a sociologist. Johnson had more than a scholarly interest in race, and soon became active in the brewing civil rights agitation of the World War II era. Although he was a founding member of the Southern Regional Council (SRC), Johnson was wary of radicalism and believed that the court system was best equipped to dismantle segregation. In this interview, he describes the creation of the SRC and his response to some of the legal victories for civil rights in the 1940s. Researchers interested in biographical details should look to the first half of this interview as well for information of interest.
    Excerpts
  • 1944 founding meeting of the Southern Regional Council
  • White liberals did not always understand the needs of the black community
  • Segregation on its way out by 1945
  • Court system was the only American institution capable of dismantling segregation
  • Southern governments trying to avoid compliance with desegregation orders
  • Learn More
  • Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
  • Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
  • Subjects
  • Segregation--Southern States
  • Southern Regional Council
  • Graham, Frank Porter, 1886-
  • The Southern Oral History Program transcripts presented here on Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove transcription errors. Texts may differ from the original transcripts held by the Southern Historical Collection.

    Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.