At a young age, David J. Johns spent an hour traveling to and from school to receive the quality education that his mother –an impassioned social justice advocate— knew would give him access to opportunities for a better life.
It is his mother and other social activists he has never met who helped him understand that people have to be disruptive and stand in the gaps to fight for certain groups of people, said Johns, who is the newly appointed executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS.
“I’ve now come into a better appreciation for the many ways that social activists as well as intellectual organizers have made sacrifices so that I and my peers can live our purpose and try and show up in the long legacy of freedom fighters that have existed before,” he says.
Now, the Inglewood, California, native says that his work as a social justice advocate and educator for Black LGBTQ people and the Black community is a “responsibility that I accept willingly.”
Johns wants young people to see him as a strong Black man who is equally proud of being Black and same-gender loving , something he did not see when he was younger. Because of this, he says that he refuses to hide parts of who he is or otherwise fail to show up in his fullness.
“I assumed this role because it is my responsibility to show up not just in the work, but to also show up in the world in ways that allow people to make some of these intersectional connections,” he says. “Until we embrace the diversity that makes us strong, we’re going to continue to struggle with some of the same problems that we face.”
Johns will start his directorship at NBJC leading with “aggressive campaigns” that highlight the diversity that exists within the Black community and that curate the stories of the contributions that Black LGBTQ have made in the world. The campaigns will also provide a platform for allies and others to advance the civil rights and equity agenda required to strengthen the Black family, Johns says.
