Black History Festival A Success

Below are highlights of the 6th Annual African-American History Festival held over the weekend of February 20-22 in historic Apalachicola Florida. Enjoy.

Mayor featured in Black History Column

Throughout February of this year, the Tallahassee Democrat has featured an African-American in their Black History Month’s column. In today’s February 24, 2009, edition, the paper featured our very own Mayor Van Johnson.

Click this link to read the article.

Black History: A tribute to my parents

During the civil rights movement, there were a lot of media attention surrounding the activities of our national leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others.

However, Franklin County had its own brand of African-American leadership and a movement that received local and regional attention. Both my father and mother spent the majority of their life in service to the Franklin County African-American community. My father was originally from River Junction, Florida in Gadsden County and my mother was from Bascom, Florida in Jackson County.

My father the late Abe Johnson, Sr., was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army where he was assigned to Rome, Italy during the European Theater of World War II. While traveling in a jeep on routine patrol, the jeep hit a landmine, exploded, and killed everyone aboard except for my father. He survived the blast, but lost the use of both his eyes. Because of his service-connected injuries, the Military awarded him the Purple Heart. For three consecutive years of honorable and faithful service, they awarded him the Good Conduct Ribbon. For heroism in the face of enemy fire, they gave him the Bronze Battle Star and for his service in the European Theater, they gave him the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Metal and honorably discharged him from the service.

I never witnessed my father let his injuries hold him back. In the early 1960’s, he opened and operated a local eatery called the Green Lantern Café and during the local civil rights movement, he served as the first and only President of the Franklin County Voters League where he organized a massive voter’s registration drive.

My mother the late Azalee Johnson worked briefly outside of the home before she and my father went into the restaurant business together. She was one of the 1969 founders and President of the Franklin County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

In 1973, after the expulsion of an African-American student from Carrabelle High School, as president of the local NAACP, my mother organized a boycott of the Franklin County schools, which involved over 350 Black students. The boycott culminated with a non-violent march from Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church down U.S. 98 to the steps of the Franklin County Courthouse. Where my mother called for the firing of both Principals from Carrabelle High School and from Chapman Elementary and demanded that the school board abandon its policy of expelling blacks students.

The top photo is at a 1975, NAACP banquet where both my father and mother received certificates of appreciation from then Apalachicola Mayor Jimmie Nichols for their work in the community. The other photo is of the students on the steps of the Franklin County Courthouse after the historic 1973 school boycott march.

Black History: A tribute to my brother

After desegregation, my eldest brother Abe Johnson, Jr., attended Chapman High School where he led the school to an undefeated football season and its first and only State football championship.

In his senior year, as a 5 foot 9½ inch, 210 pound fullback, the Florida Sports Writers Association named him to the 1968 Class C All-State football team, after he rushed for 1,077 yards on only 66 carries and scored 13 touchdowns.

In November of that year, the team was fresh off a 55-10 district win over Wewahitchka. With that victory, the team captured the Apalachicola Valley Conference and the Class C district title, behind a 285-yard rushing game from Abe. Afterward the Tallahassee Democrat named him the Big Bend football back of the week. During that game, he carried the ball only 12 times for a 23.7 average and scored on runs of 10, 85, and 95 yards.

After high school, he attended and played college football at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) before entering the U.S. Army through their Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program as a 2nd Lieutenant.

He is an ordained minister, the founder and current President of Smith Chapel Bible College in Tallahassee.

African-American History Festival

Local King Day Celebration

Attachment: My Speech

Photos & footage taken by Gail D. Johnson

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Gail and I wish all of you and your families a happy and safe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. I also like to remind you that all city offices except for the police department will be closed today in honor of the slain civil rights leader and Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient on this nationally recognized holiday set aside as his birthday.

Dr. King Day Celebration

The Love Center Ministries will be hosting their 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Celebration on Monday, January 19 at 11:00 AM at the Love & Worship Center Church located at 151-10th Street in Apalachicola.

The guest speaker will be Delwynn G. Williams, Pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida, where he was called to the office of pastor in May of 2001. A native of Orlando, Florida, Williams graduated from Orlando’s Edgewater High School before attending Springfield Christian Bible Seminary in Springfield, Massachusetts where he received a Doctor of Divinity and a Bachelor of Theology. He currently serves as the President of the Bay County Chapter of the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He’s also listed in the 1996 Edition of Strathmore's Who's Who Among Business Leaders and the 1987 Edition of Outstanding Young Men of America.

Love Center Ministries General Overseer and Celebration Coordinator Apostle Shirley C. White along with Senior Pastors Leonard D. & Sheila W. Martin welcome and invite the community to come out and join in the celebration of one of America’s most important figures.

For more information on the 2009 Dr. King Day Celebration, call the ministry at (850) 653-2203.