Johnson is the president and CEO of One Voice Inc. as well as a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School. His work in the nonprofit organization is designed to give a voice to vulnerable communities in the south.
Johnson’s address focused primarily on the outcomes of social justice movements and the power of youth today. “We are in an era where many people confuse social justice with social media,” Johnson said.
He covered events such as Ferguson and Selma. Both were politically fueled, however, were viewed as a loss because political leadership remained in place. The people who lived through the events and protests were not changed afterward, according to Johnson.
Johnson noted the passion he saw that Antioch had toward social justice and the way it shapes students.
Antioch closed in 2008 but reopened three years later.
Mark Reynolds, the college’s director of marketing and communications, said, “As we are re-emerging … we stand on the shoulders of those like Derrick and the other leaders and movements.”
Antioch alumni Sherraid Scott said Johnson’s address was inspiring. Scott, who graduated from Antioch in 1965, said, “We have reopened (the school), and that’s wonderful.”
Tim Pierce, who was a visitor to the event, said, “It was a great dynamic, Johnson is a great speaker, and it had a powerful ending.”
“That’s the beautiful thing about places like Antioch College, that we can give our young people the intellectual frame of what our thoughts should be toward the social justice fight,” said Johnson.
He closed his address with a commemoration to Antioch alumni and staff for working hard to save the college and what they do for their students. “Movement doesn’t have a color, a race, a sexual orientation,” Johnson said. “They have a value system, and a value system where all human beings should be treated with respect and dignity.”
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