The Audacious History of African Americans with Juanita B. Johnson

#039: What stories about our history and culture do you know? Are you telling them to your children? The African American history and culture is so rich and represents our resilience and the strides we’ve made to be where we are today.  

In this episode of Beyond the Culture, Dr. David M. Walker speaks with Juanita B. Johnson, the Sankofa griot of our time. Her attraction to the concept of positive audacity began in childhood as she listened to fascinating dinner-table stories which featured the achievements of African-American luminaries, change agents, and historical personalities. She currently facilitates the Sankofa Chronicles, a web-based edutainment platform that instills pride and self-confidence in children through its focus on character-building African American history and culture. She talks about her love for storytelling, especially that of our people which she developed in childhood. 

Listen in to hear stories of some of the heroic black people from the early 20th century that you don’t hear in mainstream media. You will also learn the importance of passing through our history to young people to keep it alive.  

“Let us take the wisdom from the past and tell the stories of the past so that our children can have something to hold on to when we’re not there anymore.”- Juanita [35:20]

What you will learn in this episode: 

·       [3:10] Juanita describes the ideal childhood her parents gave her and the lessons she’s learned over the years.

·       [6:22] She explains her educational and traditional American experiences as a black child in the 1960s. 

·       [10:15] The heroic story of Dorie Miller and how it changed Juanita’s perspective about blacks in the military.

·       [13:10] The meaning of Sankofa griot- taking the values, wisdom, and lessons of the past and sharing them to move society forward. 

·       [15:34] The common myths of African Americans about our history plus the many negative stereotypes.

·       [22:53] Why she wrote her book The Audacity Code to shares stories of people who achieved personal fulfillment when black people only existed.

·       [27:10] She narrates the story of Lina Richard who rose from a housekeeper to a cooking show in the 50s when it was unheard of a black person.

·       [34:21] Juanita advises our community to teach our children stories of the past as a reference to when we’re no longer here.  

Relevant Links:

Website: https://juanitabjohnson.com/ 

Book: The Audacity Code: Coloring in Black Outside the Lines by Juanita B. Johnson