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Johnson / Coming Home from War

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Interviewer: Then you said you came back to Prairie View University where you graduated in 1950? Johnson: Right. Interviewer: I’m sorry. What was your major again? I didn’t write it down. Johnson: Agriculture. Vocational Agriculture, what they called the field “VoAg.” I could either go county agent or Vocational Agriculture teacher. This was a teacher of agriculture in the public school of VoAg or in the field they had extension service they called it. The county agent to help farmers basically or people in the towns with gardens. Producing and preserving food. Interviewer: Is that kind of like home demonstrations? Johnson: That was the female side. Ladies were the home demonstration agent. Interviewer: You were called a county service agent if you were a male? Johnson: County agent. Interviewer: County agent. Just county agent. Johnson: At the time, I was designated as negro county agent. They were separate. Same thing but separate. My VoAg was under what they called NFA. New Farmers of America. Whereas the white part was Future Farmers of America. Basically, we had similar rules and ceremonies. Our ceremonies were very similar because basically it’s the same thing. Interviewer: You were part of the NFA? Johnson: Yes, I grew up in the NFA and then I became an advisor for NFA as a VoAg teacher. Interviewer: Oh, as a VoAg teacher.

Interview Interview with James E. Johnson
Subjects Work › Occupations
Work › "Women's Jobs"
Work › Agricultural Work
Work › Discrimination at Work
Education › All-Black Education
Education › Higher Education
Historic Periods › Jim Crow Period
Historic Periods › 1946-1950
Military › World War II
Tags Prairie View A&M University
New Farmers of America
Future Farmers of America
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Interview date 2015-07-21
Interview source CRBB Summer 2015
Interviewees Johnson, James E.
Interviewers Acuña-Gurrola, Moisés
Bynum, Katherine
Locations Prairie View, TX
Duration 00:02:09
Citation "Coming Home from War ," from James E. Johnson oral history interview with Moisés Acuña-Gurrola and Katherine Bynum,  July 21, 2015, Prairie View, TX , Civil Rights in Black and Brown Interview Database, https://crbb.tcu.edu/clips/707/coming-home-from-war, accessed November 02, 2024