In August, Johnnie Florence Johnson of Kosciusko celebrated her 97th birthday at Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church. It is the desire of Dr. Sam WD Johnson, her son, for her remarkable story be told.
“One of the things that I’ve been blessed to do on my mother’s 97th birthday is to reflect on what she has seen,” Dr. Johnson said.
The breadth of what Mrs. Johnson has seen is comprised of moments of both tragedy and rejoicing. The experiences have required her to draw close to her faith and summon strength. It is a field of vision marked with intense feelings, historical events and shifting social dynamics.
She was cared for, taught by and shared genes with a man — her grandfather, John Fondren — who was legally considered another man’s property until the age of 12. She was born to Emma Ashford and William P. Fondren in the wake of World War I. As a child, she and her family endured The Great Depression.
Her spiritual life was fostered in a church, Mt. Zion Baptist, that her great-grandfather Patrick Fondren helped to found. It was a solid foundation Mrs. Johnson would come to rely on as her adult life began, roughly at the same time as World War II.
She met Lawrence Olive, who became the father of her first child, Grace Olive Fondren Johnson. The new mother and baby lost Mr. Olive when Grace was six months old.
“(He) was killed fighting against racism,” Dr. Johnson said of his mother’s first husband.
Mrs. Johnson later met James Peeler Johnson, and she would give birth to a second child, James Jr. Johnson. Tragedy struck again when the six-month-old James passed away.
Mr. Johnson spent much of his time in north Mississippi, which is where he was able to find employment.
Mrs. Johnson had nine children total, six of which were born at home with the aid of a midwife.
Then came the struggles that accompanied the Civil Rights movement.
“During that time, there was a problem, especially with voting in the state of Mississippi,” Dr. Johnson said.
Despite this, Mrs. Johnson became the first member of her family to vote. It was a noteworthy turn of events for a woman who had had such a dubious relationship with the laws of her nation. Those laws had viewed her grandfather as property and failed to defend the honor of her first child’s father’s life.
She turned toward civic activity when others may have turned away. It was a trend that continued, a practice she would pass on to her children.
“The federal government was looking for individuals that were respected in their communities by both blacks and whites, whose character wouldn’t be questioned, to (be part of) juries. They chose her,” Dr. Johnson explained. “She took an oath that she would remain anonymous and had to travel throughout southern-central Mississippi (for court cases). She would travel on a Greyhound bus, just as if she were going on a normal trip. So as not to raise suspicion, she rode on the back of the bus. But, two FBI agents were always there.”
Mrs. Johnson served in this manner for six years from 1966 until 1972. Dr. Johnson said that during these trials she would lodge at motels where “black people normally would stay.” A taxi, tailed by the FBI, would pick her up in the mornings and bring her back at the end of each day.
One trial produced a somewhat humorous story that Mrs. Johnson shared with her family. According to Dr. Johnson, the plaintiff in the case was a white man who had accused the defendant, a black man, of stealing whiskey buried in the plaintiff’s front yard. At some point, a meeting was called with the jurors, judge and lawyers, and Mrs. Johnson spoke up.
“Mama said, ‘Look here, I want to tell you all something. You won’t find no black man in the state of Mississippi that’s going to go in a white man’s front yard and dig up his whiskey,’” Dr. Johnson said.
Legend has it that the case was dismissed.
It was during this same period that tragedy visited once again. In 1969, Mrs. Johnson’s youngest son, Jimmie Lee Johnson, passed away one-year shy of graduating from Tipton Street High School.
Despite her losses, she had much reason for pride, as well. John, Sam and Betty L. Johnson Gordon, Mrs. Johnson’s third, fourth and fifth children, all became student body presidents at the Tipton Street High School. John and Charles (her sixth child) were awarded graduate degrees from Mississippi Valley State University and Jackson State University, respectively. John would later take part in the establishment of the Vocational Education program at MVSU, and Charles would become a teacher, coach and principal in the Atlanta school system.
Her two surviving daughters, Betty and Thelma Ruth Johnson Hornsby are very active members of the National Council of Negro Women.
Sam followed up his undergraduate degree from Indiana University with masters and doctorate degrees from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Since then, and much like his mother, Dr. Johnson has been civically active and has taken part in many organized efforts aimed toward racial equality. It is something that has led to both arrest and injury.
“Everything I did my mother knew about,” Dr. Johnson said. “I would ask her, ‘Mama, they’re doing this and it’s not right.’ And she said, ‘Well, don’t be selfish, put God first and make sure you all are doing what’s right, because you can influence others to do what’s right,’” he recalls his mother instructing.
Instilling a sense of responsibility to others is something Mrs. Johnson intentionally taught her children, Dr. Johnson said.
“My mother says, ‘Mercy is given, mercy is to be expected. So, don’t cry about what you have to do, do what you must do,” he said.
The Kosciusko native still lives in her home, where she is cared for by her children. She still regularly worships at Traveler’s Rest Missionary Baptist Church.
“She’s still teaching me,” Dr. Johnson said.
