Mr. Johnson was born and raised in Conroe, Texas. He grew up on land his grandparents purchased after years spent sharecropping. He attended Booker T. Washington until integration, when he then attended Conroe High School. He joined the Air Force and spent time in Italy and Abilene, Texas. Upon returning to Texas, he attended Sam Houston State University and began working in radio, photography, and as a disc jockey, among other jobs. In his interview, Mr. Johnson describes segregation in Conroe, his family's landownership, integration in Conroe, his experiences in the Air Force, his multiple jobs, discrimination at work, and the many ways that Conroe has changed over time.