E. Patrick Johnson facts for kids

Elondust Patrick Johnson (born March 1, 1967) is an American scholar and artist. He is known for creating a way of thinking called "Quare theory." He works as the dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University. He is also a professor of Performance Studies and African-American studies.

Professor Johnson started the Black Arts Consortium at Northwestern. His work focuses on how people perform and express themselves, especially in African-American studies and studies about women and different identities.

Early Life and Education

Elondust Patrick Johnson was born on March 1, 1967, in Hickory, North Carolina. His mother, Sarah M. Johnson, worked in a factory. He is the youngest of seven children. They grew up in a small apartment in Ridgeview, a part of Hickory where most people were Black.

He was helped and guided by Black women in his community. One of them was Z. Ann Hoyle, who became the first Black alderman (a city council member) in Hickory.

After finishing Hickory High School in 1985, Johnson went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his first degree in 1989 and a master's degree in 1991, both in speech communication. He then went to Louisiana State University and earned his Ph.D. (a high-level degree) in speech communication in 1996.

Career Highlights

After getting his Ph.D., Johnson became a professor of English at Amherst College. In 2000, he joined the performance studies department at Northwestern University. He became a full professor in 2007.

From 2006 to 2011, he was the head of the performance studies department. On August 1, 2020, he became the dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Influence and Ideas

Johnson's idea of "quare" became very important in studies about different identities and Black history. His article, "'Quare' Studies, Or (Almost) Everything I Know About Queer Studies I Learned From My Grandmother," was published many times.

The "quare" idea helped bring together discussions about race and class with studies about identity. It also helped Black studies scholars think more about different ways people identify themselves.

Research and Books

Johnson has written many important books.

Understanding Blackness

His first book, Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Authenticity, looks at how Black culture is shown and used by different people. This book won two awards: the Lilla A. Heston Award and the Errol Hill Award.

Stories from the South

His second book, Sweet Tea: Black People of the South—An Oral History (2008), shares the real-life stories of Black people living in the Southern United States. This book won the Stonewall Book Award.

In 2018, he published Black. Southern. Women—An Oral History. This book explores the experiences of Black women living in the American South. He used similar ways of collecting stories as he did for Sweet Tea.

Exploring Black Identities

In 2005, he published Black Quare Studies: A Critical Anthology with Mae G. Henderson. This book explores the experiences of Black people with different identities. It includes writings from many scholars.

In 2016, he published No Tea, No Shade: New Writings in Black Quare Studies. This book features new ideas from the next generation of Black scholars who study identity. It was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

Performance and Art

In 2014, Johnson published solo/black/woman: scripts, interviews and essays with Ramon H. Rivera-Servera. This book collects writings about solo performances by feminist artists. It received an honorable mention for the Errol Hill Book Award.

In 2016, he published Blacktino Quare Performance with Ramon H. Rivera-Servera. This book is a collection of performance scripts by Black and Latina/o artists. Each script comes with an interview and an essay.

Other Academic Works

In 2013, Johnson published Cultural Struggles: Performance, Ethnography, Praxis. This book is a collection of essays by Dwight Conquergood, a scholar who studied how people live and express themselves. Conquergood chose Johnson to publish his work before he passed away.

Creative Works

Professor Johnson also creates artistic performances based on his research.

Sweet Tea—The Play

In 2006, Johnson created a solo performance called Pouring Tea: Black People of the South Tell Their Tales. This play was based on the stories he collected for his book Sweet Tea. The show traveled to over 100 universities and events for more than ten years.

In 2010, he worked with others to turn Pouring Tea into a full play called Sweet Tea—The Play. It was performed in many cities, including Chicago, Austin, New York City, and Hollywood. Johnson won the Bert Williams Award for Best Solo Performance for the show in 2010.

Honey Pot

This book (2019) is a creative story that goes along with his book Black. Southern. Women—An Oral History. The story is inspired by the women who shared their experiences for his study.

Other Activities

Johnson has helped evaluate other professors for promotions and has worked on administrative tasks for Northwestern University. He has also been an editor for several academic publications.

He is a member of many professional groups, including the American Society for Theatre Research and the National Communication Association. He has also helped organize academic conferences.

Honors and Awards

• In 1996, the city of Hickory, North Carolina, honored Johnson with his own day. They recognized him as the first African American born and raised in Hickory to earn a Ph.D.
• Awarded "Esteem Outstanding Service Award" in 2010.
• Awarded "Leslie Irene Coger Award for Distinguished Performance" in 2010.
• Awarded "Bert Williams Award for Best Solo Performance in a play, Sweet Tea: Black People of the South" in 2010.
• In 2010, Johnson was added to the Chicago Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Hall of Fame for his leadership.
• Awarded "Otto Reneé Castillo Award for Political Theatre" in 2014.
• In 2015, Johnson received the Oscar Brockett Award for Outstanding Teaching.
• Awarded "Stonewall Honor Books in Non-Fiction" for Black Quare Southern Women: An Oral History in 2019.

See also

• Quare theory