Description
Elson Nash was born and raised in Palmetto, a small Louisiana town that was segregated throughout his childhood. He was drafted by the military twice, once in 1944 before being discharged for medical reasons, and again in 1948, when he was placed on the reserves list for five years. After his discharge, he worked in New Orleans as a laborer before learning to weld at Xavier University, which enabled him to work at Higgins in New Orleans, and later at the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California. In this interview, he discusses his experiences with the postwar struggle to find employment, segregation and racism in the industry and the Berkeley school system, and the importance of education to his and his children’s lives.