John Lee Johnson's legacy in his own words
Markisha Motton and Tamika Lee, students at Franklin Middle School in 2004,
interviewed Mr. Johnson for a radio documentary for the
Youth Media Workshop on
WILL AM 580. In the following interview segment, Mr. Johnson
tells the students about his legacy, his confidence and the
challenges that face today’s youth.
 RealAudio
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 listen
to Markisha and Tamika's full interview with John Lee Johnson
 read
the interview transcript
Interview highlights:
"When our school district responded to Brown...what they did was they
tore down all the inner-city schools..."
"There was one white family that lived on the fringe of our
neighborhood...I spent a great deal of time in their home, they treated
me like I was their kid..."
"I came up at a time in which you did not question your parents, you
did exactly what they told you to do and when they told you to do it..."
"We didn't have libraries, we didn't have recreational facilities..."
"There
was not racial hostility between us because we were different colors..."
Danielle Russell, a student at Franklin Middle School in 2005,
interviewed Mr. Johnson for a WILL radio documentary for the
Youth Media Workshop on the 1968
desegregation of Champaign’s public schools.
listen
to the John Lee Johnson interview
read
the interview transcript
A funeral service for John Lee Johnson will be held Saturday, April 1 at
11:00am at Greater Holy Temple Church, 1409 W. Dublin St., Urbana.
Rev. Larry C. Simmons will officiate. |
