Kathryn Magnolia Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kathryn Magnolia Johnson
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | December 15, 1878 Darke County, Ohio
|
| Died | November 13, 1954 (aged 75) |
| Alma mater | Wilberforce University |
| Occupation | Political Activist, Teacher, Dean of Women |
|
Notable work
|
Two Colored Women with the American Expeditionary Forces (1920) |
Kathryn Magnolia Johnson (born December 15, 1878 – died November 13, 1954) was an important American activist. She started her career as a teacher. Later, she became one of the first members of the NAACP.
Kathryn spoke out when she felt the NAACP didn't have enough Black leaders. She then joined the Young Men's Christian Association. The YMCA sent her to France during World War I. There, she observed how Black soldiers were treated.
After returning, Kathryn wrote a book with Addie Waites Hunton. It was called Two Colored Women with the American Expeditionary Forces (1920). For the rest of her life, Kathryn worked to spread awareness about civil rights. She did this by selling books by Black authors across the country.
Kathryn's Early Life
Kathryn Magnolia Johnson was born on December 15, 1878. Her birthplace was Darke County, Ohio, in a place called the Greenville Settlement. This area was also known as Longtown.
Her parents were Walter and Lucinda Jane McCown Johnson. Kathryn had a brother named Joseph Lowery Johnson. He became a doctor and later served as a U.S. ambassador to Liberia.
Kathryn went to high school in New Paris, Ohio. She graduated in 1895. She then earned a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate from Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio. She also studied at the University of North Dakota in 1908.
Teaching and Activism
Kathryn Johnson started her career as a teacher. She taught in Ohio, North Carolina, and Kansas City. She taught at the State Normal School for Negroes in North Carolina. In 1906, she became the Dean of Women at Shorter College in Little Rock, Arkansas.
While teaching high school, Kathryn became one of the first members of the NAACP. This was when the organization first started in 1909. She helped sell the NAACP's journal, The Crisis. She also helped set up many NAACP branches across the southern states.
However, Kathryn felt that the NAACP did not have enough Black people in leadership roles. Because of this, she left the organization in 1916. She then joined the Young Men's Christian Association. At the YMCA, she focused on working with African Americans.
The YMCA sent Kathryn and her coworker, Addie Waites Hunton, to France. Their job was to observe how Black soldiers were treated during World War I. In 1918, Kathryn helped create the Frederick Douglas Hut at Camp Pontenezen in France. This was a place for Black soldiers.
Kathryn also developed a special education program. She taught Black soldiers how to read and write. Many of these soldiers came from farms and had never been to school. They often had to sign their pay stubs with an "X" because they couldn't write. Many couldn't even write letters home to their families. Eventually, the Army made it a rule that all illiterate Black soldiers had to take Kathryn's class.
After they returned home, Kathryn and Addie wrote their book, Two Colored Women with the American Expeditionary Forces (1920). The book described the unfair treatment Black soldiers faced in France during the war.
Spreading Awareness and Legacy
After returning from France, Kathryn Johnson had a new goal. She wanted to fight against unfair treatment of Black people by promoting reading. She started a nationwide effort to improve civil rights through literacy.
She sold books by Black authors as part of a collection called "A Two Foot Shelf of Negro Literature." She also shared writings by important figures like Carter G. Woodson, W. E. B. Du Bois, Benjamin Brawley, and James Weldon Johnson.
By selling books, Kathryn hoped to encourage African Americans to read more. She wanted them to learn about the important contributions of Black people throughout history. She hoped this knowledge would inspire them to join the fight against unfair treatment. Over the years, Kathryn traveled more than "9,000 miles and sold 15,000 books." Her work also showed the amazing things African American women could achieve, even with the challenges they faced.
In her later years, Kathryn Magnolia Johnson lived in the Ezella Mathias Carter Home for Colored Working Women in Chicago. She passed away on November 13, 1954.
