Ms. Toran was raised in Nigton, a small community in East Texas, by her highly-educated father and step-mother, who were also educators. Ms. Toran attended segregated schools in Lufkin and then went on to become a school-teacher and counselor in Lufkin schools. She was the first black school counselor in Lufkin schools. In the interview, she discussed growing up in Nigton, the accomplishments of her father, schools in Lufkin, changes over time in the black community. Ms. Toran described the responses to integration, including demonstrations by the KKK in the 1970s.

Mr. Herbert Cross was born and raised near Fort Worth. He was drafted into the Marines during the Korean War, where he served for two years. He then went to college and was hired by Dunbar High School in Fort Worth. He then became principal at an elementary. He was tapped to be assistant principal of Lufkin High School the first year of integration and continued as a principal in the Lufkin School District until his retirement in the 1980s. In the interview, Mr. Cross describes the discrimination he and his family faced as a child, particularly after the family joined a lawsuit for better facilities in their school, his time in the military, his fight for equal treatment as a teacher and administrator in the Lufkin school system, how integration went during his time as principal, and the discrimination he faced from his colleagues.