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Born a sharecropper’s son in rural North Carolina, Rev. Aaron Johnson has worked as a tireless advocate for social justice. After leading early sit-ins under Martin Luther King Jr.’s tutelage, Johnson advised three N.C. governors on race relations and served as the state’s corrections secretary while pastoring a Fayetteville, N.C., church.
In telling his life story, Rev. Johnson takes us to the front lines of the fight for civil and human rights in our country over the last fifty years. Whether being beaten and dragged from a dime store lunch counter, standing blindfolded before a Ku Klux Klan meeting, or praying arm-in-arm with a death-row inmate, Johnson shows us how human hatred and fear smells, sounds and feels—and how it feels to empower others with hope and trust. Aaron Johnson’s story reminds us how much one individual, with focus and faith, can do to change the world, despite repeated hurdles. Readers will come to know Johnson as a friend and inspiring hero who suspects that God still has a few projects waiting for him on his to-do list. |
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Rev. Johnson reunites with the "10"
Rev. Aaron Johnson was present at a reunion of the Wilmington10 survivors at Gregory Congregational Church in Wilmington on Saturday, January 5, 2013, following the December 31 pardons by outgoing North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue. Aaron recounts his emotional reunion with Ben Chavis and the missing files that might have exculpated the “10.” Read more
Aaron ministers alongside former inmate
In August 2012, Aaron was the keynote speaker at the Southeast Regional Conference for Coalition of Prison Evangelists (COPE) in Greensboro, NC. Also on the platform at that conference was Bobby McGee, a former prisoner who now ministers in music and testimony with his wife, Nancy, in a ministrry called ChristSong. Bobby spent twenty years in the custody of the NC Department of Corrections, which included the eight years while Aaron Johnson was the Secretary of the DOC. In an emotional moment, Bobby shared about the changes he saw, from the inside, when Aaron came to the office and implemented some long overdue directives, resulting in more humane treatment of the prisoners under his charge.
Aaron speaks to prison ministers
November 2, 2011, Aaron spoke at the International COPE (Coalition of Prison Evangelists) Conference in Melbourne, FL. Speaking from his experience as the first African American Secretary of the Department of Corrections in NC (1984-1992), his message resonates with those who go behind the walls regularly to minister. At left, Aaron and Mattie autograph books for attendees.
August 23, 2012 - Aaron spoke at the Southeast Regional COPE Conference in Greensboro, NC. Aaron shared the podium with Bobby McGeem who was incarcerated in the NC Department of Corrections during Aaron's tenure as Secretary.
August 23, 2012 - Aaron spoke at the Southeast Regional COPE Conference in Greensboro, NC. Aaron shared the podium with Bobby McGeem who was incarcerated in the NC Department of Corrections during Aaron's tenure as Secretary.
Aaron speaks to leaders in Missouri
In October 2011, Aaron spoke at State Leadership Week at Child Evangelism Fellowship headquarters in Warrenton, MO. The group had had workshops on cultural sensitivity all week, and it was very fitting that Aaron told personal stories about racism and reconciliation. I witnessed many tears in the audience as he spoke. After Aaron spoke, Vices President of USA Ministries, Moises Esteves asked the state director from Georgia to pray for Aaron. The irony is that the night before, I had dinner with this man, and he told me about growing up in eastern NC, and about his grandfather who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Also, after the talk, when Aaron was greeting folks, a woman from NC came to him sobbing. She had grown up in the same county as Aaron, and was only a few years younger than Aaron. She was apologizing, and asking for forgiveness for the sins of her community. Their embrace was a beautiful picture of reconciliation. We know that God is honored and the Kingdom is promoted when walls are broken down, and reconciliation takes place.
Also, after the talk, when Aaron was greeting folks, a woman from NC came to him sobbing. She had grown up in the same county as Aaron, and was only a few years younger than Aaron. She was apologizing, and asking for forgiveness for the sins of her community. Their embrace was a beautiful picture of reconciliation. We know that God is honored and the Kingdom is promoted when walls are broken down, and reconciliation takes place.
Aaron Johnson at CLI Author Dinner
Rev. Aaron Johnson spoke at the The Christian Library International Author Dinner in Raleigh, NC on Saturday, October 8, 2011. The CLI Author Dinner is an annual event that gives friends and partners the opportunity to hear about God’s work in the prisons. CLI is a team ministry that works with Christ and His desire to reconcile a lost and dark world to God. Click here to read about the dinner
Aaron Johnson at UW-Oshkosh and other Venues in Wisconsin
Rev. Aaron Johnson was the featured speaker at Black History Month Celebration events at the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh February 28 through March 3, 2011. Click here to see the article in the University newspaper. He also spoke at other locations in Oshkosh and Milwaukee through March 6. Click here for the full schedule
Aaron Johnson Speaks at Black History Month Kickoff
On February 1, 2011, Aaron spoke to a packed auditorium at the kickoff for Black History Month at Fayetteville State University.
Aaron (center) is pictured here with Dr. Stanley Johnson and Dr. Annie McCulloch Chavis, recipients of FSU's Humanitarian Awards.
Aaron (center) is pictured here with Dr. Stanley Johnson and Dr. Annie McCulloch Chavis, recipients of FSU's Humanitarian Awards.
Aaron at International Civil Rights Museum
On Wednesday, December 8, 2010, Aaron spoke and signed copies of his memoir at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, located at the corner of Elm and February One Place in Greensboro, NC. This event was sponsored by Leadership NC.
Pictured at right, Aaron and Mattie as they toured the International Civil Rights Museum. They are standing on the exact location where four A & T students sat and asked for service almost 51 years ago, sparking similar sit-ins across the country. Aaron sat at a similar lunch counter in Raleigh in 1960, and had hot soup thrown in his face
Pictured at right, Aaron and Mattie as they toured the International Civil Rights Museum. They are standing on the exact location where four A & T students sat and asked for service almost 51 years ago, sparking similar sit-ins across the country. Aaron sat at a similar lunch counter in Raleigh in 1960, and had hot soup thrown in his face
Hear Aaron's Interview with John Seigenthaler
Click here to hear Aaron Johnson's interview with John Seigenthaler on Nashville Public Television's "A Word on Words." The program aired on Sunday, June 7, 2010. When you get to the , scroll down to the 06/07/2010 date and click the arrow.
See Aaron on "North Carolina People"
Click here to see an interview with Dr. Aaron Johnson with Dr. William Friday on UNC-TV's "North Carolina People." The program aired May 14 & 16, 2010.
