Vernon Johns facts for kids

Dr. Vernon Johns (born April 22, 1892 – died June 11, 1965) was an important American minister and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is most famous for being the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, from 1947 to 1952. After him, the famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became the pastor of that same church.

Johns was well-known across the Southern United States. People admired his deep knowledge, his intelligence, and his brave, direct sermons about race relations. His ideas were often ahead of his time.

Early Life and Education

Vernon Johns was born in Darlington Heights, Virginia. Three of his grandparents had been enslaved people. His maternal grandfather was a white man named Mr. Price, who had a relationship with Johns's maternal grandmother. Their daughter, Sallie Price (who became Johns's mother), was raised by Mr. Price's white wife after her mother passed away.

In 1915, Johns graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary and College. He then studied at the Oberlin Seminary, where he was highly respected by both students and teachers. He was even chosen to give the main student speech. After graduating from Oberlin in 1918, he went on to study at the University of Chicago's graduate school of theology.

Ministry and Activism

After his studies, Johns became a preacher in different churches in Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. In 1926, he made history as the first African American to have his sermon published in Best Sermons of the Year.

In 1927, Johns married Altona Trent. She was a talented pianist and music teacher who later became a professor at what is now Alabama State University. From 1929 to 1933, Johns served as president of Lynchburg's Virginia Theological Seminary and College. He faced challenges with the school's money and eventually had to resign. He then returned to his family farm for several years.

In 1937, Johns was called to be the pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston, West Virginia. In 1941, he returned to Lynchburg as pastor of Court Street Baptist Church, but he soon left and went back to the farm.

His wife's connection to Alabama State University helped him get hired as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in October 1948. Johns was known for his bold actions. Once, on a bus in Montgomery, he refused to sit in the back, which was the rule for Black people during segregation. He demanded his money back and got it. He sometimes surprised his church members, who were mostly upper and middle class, by selling fresh produce from his farm right outside the church!

Johns's niece, Barbara Rose Johns, led a student protest in Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1951. This protest became part of a bigger court case, Davis vs. Prince Edward County. This case was one of five that were combined into the famous Brown v. Board of Education case. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that separating students by race in public schools was against the law. Barbara Johns said that her uncle, Reverend Johns, was one of her inspirations.

In May 1953, Johns resigned as pastor in Montgomery. He returned to his family farm, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Vernon Johns passed away from a heart attack in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 1965, at the age of 73.

Legacy

A TV movie called Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story was made in 1994. It was based on a book about his life and starred the famous actor James Earl Jones as Vernon Johns. Former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar helped produce the film.

David Anderson Elementary School in Petersburg, Virginia, was renamed Vernon Johns Middle School in his honor. In 2009, it became the junior high school for the city.

See also

• Ralph Luker, editor of the Vernon Johns Papers