TITLE
Title
RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND DOCTOR NELSON NAPOLEON JOHNSON
end
SPONSOR
Sponsor
Chairman Melvin "Skip" Alston
end
RESOLUTION
Resolution
WHEREAS, Nelson Napoleon Johnson was born on April 25, 1943, in Airlie, North Carolina, and at 81 years of age, departed this life on February 10, 2025; and
WHEREAS, a young Nelson Johnson was raised on a family farm in Littleton, North Carolina in Halifax County, and in 1961, he graduated from an all-Black high school in Littleton; and
WHEREAS, he answered the call to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Air Force, where he was stationed at Westover Field, Massachusetts, and later in Baden, Germany, before being honorably discharged in 1965; and
WHEREAS, following his military service, he moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to pursue higher education at North Carolina A&T State University where he became deeply involved in civil rights and social justice efforts; and
WHEREAS, Nelson Johnson actively participated in Youth Educational Services (YES) and later helped to establish the Greensboro Association for Poor People (GAPP), advocating economic and social justice for marginalized communities; and
WHEREAS, he was a witness to and participant in the historic riots that occurred at Dudley High School and North Carolina A&T State University in 1969, and throughout the 1970s, was engaged in various political movements, working towards systemic change, advocating for the rights of workers and the oppressed; and
WHEREAS, he survived the terrible aftermath of the infamous Nazi-Klan March, later acknowledged as the Greensboro Massacre; and following the tragic events of November 3, 1979, in Greensboro, Nelson Johnson remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth, justice, and reconciliation and continued his commitment to justice and equality; and
WHEREAS, he completed his undergraduate studies at North Carolina A&T State University in 1986 and subsequently earned a Master of Di...
Click here for full text