Vanderbilt University

 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

Vanderbilt Unveils New Bishop Johnson Portrait


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We are excited to announce that Vanderbilt University unveiled a new portrait of Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., along with the portraits of other Vanderbilt trailblazers during Homecoming weekend on October 13, 2018. Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos unveiled four portraits as part of a new “Vanderbilt Trailblazers” portrait series to honor members of the Vanderbilt community who broke barriers at the university and in society at large. The other portraits feature Perry Wallace, the Rev. Walter R. Murray Jr., and the Rev. James Lawson.

Commissioned by Chancellor Zeppos, the portraits were painted by world-renowned artist Simmie Knox, who has painted portraits of Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali, Justice Thurgood Marshall and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the official White House portraits of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. 

The portraits are part of Vanderbilt’s campus-wide effort of “creating welcoming, inclusive and accessible spaces that recognize and celebrate the diversity of the Vanderbilt community.” The portraits are currently on display in the parlor of the Mary McClure Taylor Lobby in Kirkland Hall, Vanderbilt University’s administration building. They will remain in Kirkland Hall until they are dedicated in their permanent locations across campus next year. 

Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. was the first African American to graduate from Vanderbilt University, (Bachelor of Divinity, 1954), the first to receive a PhD (1958), and the first to serve as a full member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust. The Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center honors his legacy on the Vanderbilt campus. He was also the 34th Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, noted scholar and theologian, and the author of The Soul of the Black Preacher and Proclamation Theology. The Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project is telling his life story through a biography and documentary film currently in progress.

Also featured, Perry Wallace enrolled at Vanderbilt in 1966, was an engineering student and the first African American varsity basketball player in the Southeastern Conference. Rev. Walter R. Murray Jr. was founder of the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni and was a was a founder of the Afro-American Student Association. He was elected a young alumni trustee in 1970, becoming the first African American to serve on the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust. Rev. James Lawson’s civil rights activism in Nashville led to his expulsion from Vanderbilt in 1960. Eventually, Lawson and Vanderbilt reconciled and, in 1996, he received the Divinity School’s first Distinguished Alumni/ae Award. Lawson returned to Vanderbilt to teach as a Distinguished University Professor in 2006.

 

Vanderbilt University Trailblazers Portrait Unveiling - Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. - at Kirkland Hall.(Vanderbilt University/Joe Howell)
Vanderbilt University Trailblazers Portrait Unveiling - Rev. James Lawson - at Kirkland Hall.(Vanderbilt University/Joe Howell)
Vanderbilt University Trailblazers Portrait Unveiling - Perry Wallace - at Kirkland Hall.(Vanderbilt University/Joe Howell)
Vanderbilt University Trailblazers Portrait Unveiling - Walter Murray - at Kirkland Hall.(Vanderbilt University/Joe Howell)
Vanderbilt University Trailblazers Portrait Unveiling at Kirkland Hall.

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The Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. and meeting the continuing demand for his books, sermons, and papers that persists 40 years after his death. Biography and documentary film in progress.

in Biography Project / Documentary Project / Vanderbilt Trailblazer 0 comments
 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

Remembering the Johnson Men on Father’s Day

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I am told that Aunt Elsie once said of those Johnson men, “they don’t know when to stop going to school and they don’t know when to stop buying clothes.” The Johnson men were handsome, educated, God-fearing men who loved their family, served the church, and honored God. Therefore, we honor them on this Father’s Day weekend.

Pictured left to right are Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., Charles Johnson, Rev. Joseph A. Johnson, Sr., Rev. James T. Johnson, and Rev. Dr. David H. Johnson.

Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. earned two doctoral degrees and was the first African American to graduate from Vanderbilt University. He was elected the 34th bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, and he was a noted scholar and theologian. Rev. Joseph A. Johnson Sr. served numerous churches as a CME pastor and presiding elder in Louisiana. Rev. James Johnson followed in his father’s footsteps and also served as a pastor and presiding elder in Louisiana. Rev. Dr. David Johnson was an ordained CME minister and educator who served as president of Texas College, a CME institution.

Patricia Johnson-Powell (who shared the photo), the daughter of Bishop Johnson, described the younger Johnson men as a formidable band of brothers who went to college together, sometimes made mischief together (plenty of funny family stories), and outdid each other looking sharp together. They each cut a fine figure and knew how to command a room personally and professionally. Most importantly, they were instilled by their father, Elder Johnson, with the indispensable necessity of faith, the importance of family, and the power of education to uplift their family, church, and community.

Happy Heavenly Father’s Day to the Johnson men! As the Johnson family prepares for our bi-annual family gathering, we are remembering them fondly, with gratitude for their impact on our lives and their lasting legacy in the CME Church and beyond.

in Family Profiles 5 comments
 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

#OTD – April 12, 1984 – Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center Dedicated at Vanderbilt University

Panel Discussion on Legacy of Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., held at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University L. to R.: Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, Dr. Riggins Earl, Bishop Paul Stewart, Dr. Evelyn Parker, and Dean Emilie Townes
L to R: Dwayne Johnson, Patricia Johnson-Powell, Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, Dr. Riggins Earl, Bishop Paul Stewart, Dr. Evelyn Parker, Dean Emilie Townes, Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick, and Dr. Frank Dobson
Banner Celebrating 30th Anniversary of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver ready to interview for documentary film about Bishop Johnson
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver interviewing Vanderbilt Associate Dean Frank Dobson for documentary film at Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver interviewing Vanderbilt Dean of Students Mark Bandas for documentary film at Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center

On this date 34 years ago, on April 12, 1984, the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center was dedicated at Vanderbilt University to honor Bishop Joseph Andrew Johnson, Jr. the first African American to graduate from the university. Bishop Johnson was also my grandfather, and I remember the day well as family members gathered in large numbers at the Sarratt Student Center a mere five years after my grandfather’s untimely death. In attendance were his widow, Grandmother Grace; his children Joseph III, Charles DeWitt (my father), and Patricia Ann; along with numerous great aunts and uncles, cousins, university dignitaries, church leaders, and many family friends.

Up until that day, I knew him only as “Granddaddy,” but at the age of nine, I was old enough to read the biographical sketch and listen to the program speakers. It was then that I learned about my grandfather’s quadfecta of firsts: that he was the first African-American to attend Vanderbilt University, the first to graduate, receiving the Bachelor of Divinity in 1954, the first to receive a PhD from the university in 1958, and the first African American elected to serve as a full member of the university’s Board of Trusts in 1971. I would later learn that when he enrolled at Vanderbilt, he also became the first African American to attend a private, white university in the south.

He was also the thirty-fourth bishop of the Christian Methodist Church, the first dean and president of Phillips School of Theology, and a New Testament professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He was a pioneer in the field of black theology and biblical interpretation, authoring five books, including The Soul of the Black Preacher and Proclamation Theology. As a bishop, he became a civil rights advocate and an international speaker at universities and conferences throughout the world.

At the dedication, the book program contained printed remarks from former Vanderbilt University Chancellors, Harvie Brandscomb and Alexander Heard, as well as William S. Vaughn, former president of the Board of Trusts. Heard described my grandfather as a man who was never self-conscious about being the first black member of the Board and never hesitant to speak on topics that interested him. Vaughn described him as a “skillful advocate on behalf of blacks” who spoke “out of the deep currents of his own racial experience.” The speakers all agreed that the dedication of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center was a worthy tribute to his legacy. Brandscomb, who participated in the decision to admit my grandfather in 1953, noted that it was “especially fitting that it should be a center where young men and women are following in his footsteps.”

Today, thirty-four years after the dedication, the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center is a cultural hub on Vanderbilt’s campus, hosting speakers, guest lecturers, student organizations, and academic opportunities focused on African and African American culture. According to its website, the center is “a gathering place, a home away from home for students who study in the BCC, gather there for meetings, and learn about African and African American culture through the center’s programs.” The center’s mission includes cultural and educational programming, student support and development, and community outreach and service. Its roster of renowned speakers includes Angela Davis, Julian Bond, the late Negro Leagues Legend, Buck O’Neil, Afeni Shakur (mother of the late Tupac Shakur); and Dr. Eugene Richardson of the Tuskegee Airmen. In the almost forty years since his death, Bishop Johnson’s legacy continues to live in the generations of Vanderbilt students who attend meetings, cultural events, panel discussions, and seminars at the Black Cultural Center. They do so knowing that the barrier was broken and the door was opened by Johnson’s courageous decision to apply, attend, and persevere at Vanderbilt University.

But Bishop Johnson’s impact extends beyond one campus. In the Fall of 2015, when the #BlackonCampus movement sparked protests by African American students at university campuses across the country, many student activists invoked the names and stories of their universities’ first African American students. In doing so, they demonstrated that the campus protests were not new, but were grounded in a decades-long struggle for diversity and equality in higher education. The life story of Bishop Johnson takes place at the heart of this historical struggle and represents generations of freedom fighters who struggled for the right to read, to study, to learn, and eventually to be admitted to the nation’s best institutions. Thus, Bishop Johnson’s life story provides historical context and inspiration for today’s generations of students, advocates, people of faith, and others still engaged in the struggle for justice, equality, and inclusion today.

Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver is writing a biography and filming a documentary about Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. For more information, visit www.bishopjosephjohnson.org.

Follow on social media: @BishopJJHistory and @CJohnsonOliver.

Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver interviewing Vanderbilt Associate Dean Frank Dobson for documentary film at Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center

in Biography Project / Documentary Project / Vanderbilt Trailblazer 1 comments
 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

Bishop Johnson Documentary Film In Progress

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Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver interviews about Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project

We are pleased to announce that filming is underway for a documentary about the life and legacy of Bishop Joseph Andrew Johnson Jr. Thanks to a grant from the Lily Endowment (via the Louisville Institute) and a matching grant from Vanderbilt University, Bishop Johnson’s life story will now be told in print and on the small screen.

Interview with Anthony Johnson

Rev. Johnson-Oliver interviews Anthony Johnson

The biography and documentary projects are led by Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, granddaughter of Bishop Johnson and founder of the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project, which seeks to preserve the oral history, sermons, books, papers, and legacy of Bishop Johnson, and share his inspiring life story with a new generation. She is joined by producer Robin Mazyck and cameraman Denis Pacuraru as partners in the documentary project. Filming thus far has included interviews of Bishop Johnson’s descendants and other family members along with an interview of Bishop Othal Hawthone Lakey, author of The History of the CME Church. In late August, filming will take place at Vanderbilt University and at Capers Memorial CME Church, where Johnson served as pastor while attending Vanderbilt. Future filming will take place in northern Louisiana; Denver, Colorado; Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee; and at Phillips School of Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bishop Johnson was the first African American to graduate from Vanderbilt University, receiving the Bachelor of Divinity in 1954.  He was also the first African American to receive a PhD from the university (1958), and the first to serve as a full member of the university’s Board of Trusts (1971). Johnson was also a bishop in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, a civil rights advocate, and a pioneer in the field of black liberation theology. He is the author of The Soul of the Black Preacher, Proclamation Theology, and other works. In 1984, five years after his death, the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center was dedicated on Vanderbilt’s campus. Most recently, Bishop Johnson was posthumously named a distinguished alumnus of Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2014, and earlier this year, the Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., Distinguished Leadership Professor Award  was created in his honor.

For more information and ongoing updates from the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project, follow the history project blog and Facebook page. Contact Rev. Johnson-Oliver to share your memories about Bishop Johnson or to arrange an interview.

Dr. Joseph A. Johnson III, Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, and Rev. Rose Johnson-Thompson
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver and Dr. Joseph A. Johnson III
Cameraman Denis Pacuraru and Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver interviews Anthony Johnson

The Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project is grateful for funding from the Lily Endowment (via the Louisville Institute), Vanderbilt University, and Friends of the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project.

 

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 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

Bishop Johnson Biography Receives Grant Support

15529594532_8801d71f2a_bRev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, President of the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project, has been awarded a Pastoral Study Project grant from the Louisville Institute to fund her book project, The Soul of the Bishop: The Life and Legacy of Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. (1914-1979).

The book-length biography will chronicle the life of her grandfather, Bishop Johnson, the first African American to graduate from Vanderbilt University, receiving the Bachelor of Divinity in 1954.  Johnson went on to become the first African American to receive a PhD from the university, and the first to serve as a full member of the university’s Board of Trusts. Johnson also became a Bishop in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1984, five years after his death, the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center was dedicated on Vanderbilt’s campus.

Cynthia accepting awardMost recently, in October 2014, Vanderbilt Divinity School posthumously awarded Bishop Johnson the Distinguished Alumni Award. Rev. Johnson-Oliver accepted the award on his behalf and organized a panel discussion to reflect on his life and legacy.

Rev. Johnson-Oliver, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and Yale Law School, is an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church currently serving “on loan” as an Associate Pastor at Annandale United Methodist Church. She will utilize the Pastoral Study Project grant to fund research and research-related travel as she investigates Johnson’s life and times. She founded the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project to connect with audiences and to preserve the history and papers of Bishop Johnson.

Through its Pastoral Study Project program (PSP), the Louisville Institute enables pastoral leaders to bracket daily work routines in order to pursue a pressing and significant question for the life of faith. Grants of up to $15,000 support independent or collaborative study projects – projects that privilege pastoral perspectives and rhythms and honor grassroots research conducted by skilled clergy. PSP grantees use a variety of platforms to share what they learn with a wider audience, extending their leadership in ways that benefit the broader church and culture in North America.

Louisville Institute is funded by the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment and based at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky). The Institute’s fundamental mission is to enrich the religious life of North American Christians and to encourage the revitalization of their institutions, by bringing together those who lead religious institutions with those who study them, so that the work of each might inform and strengthen the other.

For more information about the Biography Project, click here.

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 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

Scholars, Religious Leaders Reflect on Bishop Johnson’s Life and Legacy

Banner Celebrating 30th Anniversary of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University
Panel Discussion on Legacy of Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr., held at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University L. to R.: Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, Dr. Riggins Earl, Bishop Paul Stewart, Dr. Evelyn Parker, and Dean Emilie Townes
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver speaks about Bishop Johnson's early life and ministry.
Dr. Riggins Earl reflects on Bishop Johnson's experience and legacy as the first African American student at Vanderbilt.
Bishop Paul Stewart speaks about Bishop Johnson's legacy in the CME Church.
Senior Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick and Bishop Paul Stewart of the CME Church
L to R: Dwayne Johnson, Patricia Johnson-Powell, Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, Dr. Riggins Earl, Bishop Paul Stewart, Dr. Evelyn Parker, Dean Emilie Townes, Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick, and Dr. Frank Dobson
Bishop Lawrence L. Reddck, Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, and Dr. Riggins Earl
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver and Dean Emilie Townes
Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver and Dr. Evelyn Parker

The auditorium of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University was filled with students and other members of the Vanderbilt community, members of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, including Senior Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick, and members of the Johnson family, all of whom gathered to hear reflections on the life and legacy of the Black Cultural Center’s namesake, Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr.

The event was a panel discussion on the life and legacy of Bishop Johnson that featured scholars and religious leaders. Panelists included Bishop Paul Stewart, retired senior bishop of the CME Church; Dr. Evelyn Parker, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Perkins School of Theology; Dr. Riggins Earl, Professor of Ethics and Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center; and Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver, JD, granddaughter of Bishop Johnson and president of the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project. Dr. Emilie Townes, Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School, served as moderator of the panel. Dr. Frank Dobson, Director of the Black Cultural Center, introduced the panel.

Rev. Johnson-Oliver, who is currently writing a biography of Bishop Johnson, reflected on his early life and ministry. Dr. Earl then gave reflections on Bishop Johnson’s experiences and his legacy as the first African American student at Vanderbilt. Bishop Stewart reflected on Bishop Johnson’s legacy as a bishop in the CME Church. Dr. Parker offered reflections on growing up as a youth in the episcopal district in which Bishop Johnson presided, along with his scholarly legacy. A highlight of the discussion came after a question by Kevin Brown, a Vanderbilt Divinity School student, who asked about Bishop Johnson as a husband and father. From the audience, Patricia Johnson-Powell, daughter of Bishop Johnson, gave a heart-warming reflection of an egalitarian husband who shared in household responsibilities and regularly affirmed her as his “baby girl.” The panel also addressed questions about Bishop Johnson’s books and their significance today.

[Video of panel discussion is forthcoming.]

Bishop Johnson was the first African American to be admitted to Vanderbilt University. He went on to become the first African American to graduate, receiving the Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1954, and the first to receive the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1958. In 1971, he was elected to the Vanderbilt Board of Trust and two years later preached at the Divinity School’s Cole Lectures. Bishop Johnson was also the 34th Bishop of the CME Church, the first President of Phillips School of Theology, and Professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA.

In 1984, the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt was dedicated in his honor. In 2013, the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project was started by Bishop Johnson’s granddaughter, Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver.

The panel discussion marked the 100th anniversary of Bishop Johnson’s birth and the 60th anniversary of Bishop Johnson’s first graduation from Vanderbilt. The Black Cultural Center is also celebrating its 30th anniversary. At an awards ceremony later that evening, Bishop Johnson posthumously received the Distinguished Alumni award conferred by Vanderbilt Divinity School.

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 by Cynthia Johnson-Oliver

Bishop Johnson Named “Distinguished Alumnus” at Vanderbilt Divinity School

2014 Distinguished Alumni Celebration DinnerWe are pleased to announce that Bishop Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. has been named a 2014 Distinguished Alumni/ae award recipient at Vanderbilt Divinity School. The Vanderbilt Divinity School award is “given to someone who has demonstrated excellence and distinction in justice making through their work in congregational ministry, religious institutions, ecumenical organizations, community –based organizations, government, or other social institutions.”

In 1953, Bishop Johnson became the first African American to be admitted to Vanderbilt University. He went on to become the first African American to graduate, receiving the Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1954, and the first to receive the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1958. In 1971, he was elected to the Vanderbilt Board of Trust and two years later preached at the Divinity School’s Cole Lectures.

In 1966, Bishop Johnson was elected the 34th bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He also served as President of Phillips School of Theology, Professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center, and Dean of Chapel at Fisk University

A pioneer in the field of black theology, Bishop Johnson authored several books, including The Soul of the Black Preacher (1971), The Local Church and Lay Evangelism (1974), Our Faith, Heritage, and Church (1975), Proclamation Theology (1977), and Basic Christian Methodist Beliefs (1978).

In 1984, the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt was dedicated in his honor. In 2013, the Bishop Joseph Johnson History Project was started by Bishop Johnson’s granddaughter, Rev. Cynthia Johnson-Oliver.

Rev. Johnson-Oliver will accept the award on behalf of Bishop Johnson at a celebration dinner to be held on October 3, 2014 at Vanderbilt University. She will also present at a panel discussion on the life and legacy of Bishop Johnson at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center.

Other 2014 award recipients include Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree and Rev. Becca Stevens. Previous Distinguished Alumni/ae recipients include James Lawson, Fred Craddock, Gardner Taylor and Charlotte Hotopp Zachary.

Click here to read article announcing Distinguished Alumni/ae Award.

Click here to read Vanderbilt Divinity School announcement.

Click here for more information about the panel discussion on the life and legacy of Bishop Johnson.

 

 

 

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