Lenwood Johnson facts for kids
Lenwood E. Johnson was an important activist who worked hard for public housing and the rights of African-Americans in Houston, Texas. He is well-known for trying to stop the demolition of Allen Parkway Village (APV). This was a large public housing complex in the Fourth Ward area of Houston. Later in his life, he also worked to protect the history of the Fourth Ward itself.
In 1995, a writer named Brian Wallstin said that Johnson's 15-year fight against powerful real estate developers and government officials would be remembered as legendary.
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Early Life and Moving to Houston
Johnson grew up in a rural area near Brenham. His father worked as a sharecropper, which means he farmed land owned by someone else and paid rent with a share of his crops. Johnson finished high school at Pickard High School.
He planned to go to college at St. Mary's College in San Antonio. However, his family lost money because their land was damaged by floods and drought. So, he went to Prairie View A&M University instead, where he studied physics. He attended for three years but had to leave. He was fired from a work-study job because he protested the conditions there, and he could no longer afford tuition.
In the 1970s, Johnson moved to Houston. He worked as a research technician in a lab. After he and his wife divorced, he became a single parent. He also developed health problems from his work, which meant he could no longer be a research technician. With little money, he and his son moved into Allen Parkway Village in 1980.
Lenwood Johnson's Activism
From the very beginning, Johnson fought to stop Allen Parkway Village from being sold to developers. In 1983, the residents of APV voted him to be the head of the APV Village Council. He clearly stated that he was against political and business leaders who wanted to tear down APV.
A spokesperson for the Housing Authority of the City of Houston (HACH) said they were surprised by how much resistance they faced. She called Johnson "very effective" and said he was "one lone ranger who essentially stopped the process." A sociology professor from the University of Houston, Bill Simon, said Johnson was the only resident who had the legal right to challenge the demolition.
Johnson even traveled to Washington, DC. There, he met Henry Cisneros, who was the head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This government department helps with housing and city development. Johnson often used donated supplies and equipment for his activism. Sometimes, he relied on trading goods or getting donations from people who supported him.
Starting in 1996, Allen Parkway Village was rebuilt in a way that made it smaller. Because of this, Johnson moved to Irvington Village, another housing complex managed by HACH. By 2001, the Houston Housing Authority (HHA) tried to evict him. They said he owed money for utilities. In 2001, Johnson agreed to move out after the HHA offered to help him move. He later moved into a privately rented home. Even so, Johnson appealed his eviction, but the HACH board confirmed it in January 2002.
After the fight over Allen Parkway Village ended, Johnson began working to preserve the history of the Fourth Ward. He wanted to save the bricks used on the roads there, which had been made by newly freed slaves. In November 2010, Johnson became a member of the Gregory Library Watch group. This group accused the Gregory African-American Library in the Fourth Ward of not keeping certain historical documents. Johnson said the library refused to keep documents about the effort to save Allen Parkway Village. He also worked with another activist, Timothy O'Brien, to protect the Fourth Ward. Johnson also criticized Houston Mayor Annise Parker. He felt she was doing more to save an old school in another part of Houston than to preserve the Fourth Ward.
Later Life and Passing
From September 2017 until he passed away, Johnson lived with a friend. He developed breathing problems. On the evening of May 10, 2018, he was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Downtown Houston because he was having trouble breathing. He passed away that month at the age of 75. His funeral was planned to be held in Brenham, where he grew up.
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