On Thursday, April 17, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will adopt a resolution honoring the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Nelson Napoleon Johnson, a major figure in Greensboro known for his efforts in the struggle for social justice and civil rights.

The resolution, which will be read by Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners  Skip Alston, celebrates the life of a man whose faith and determination had a transformational impact on Guilford County and the city of Greensboro.

“His lifelong commitment to justice, equality, and community-building left an indelible mark on Greensboro, North Carolina, and beyond,” the resolution reads.

Perhaps the most defining moment in his public life came on November 3, 1979 – a day in Greensboro’s history that put the eyes of the nation on the city and has had massive reverberations ever since.

 Johnson survived what came to be known as the Greensboro Massacre, when five protesters were gunned down by Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party members during a “Death to the Klan” rally.

“In the face of tragedy, Reverend Johnson remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth, justice, and reconciliation,” the resolution declares.

After the shooting, along with his wife Joyce, he became a driving force behind the effort to establish the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1999.  The Commission was modeled after Nelson Mandela’s post-apartheid process in South Africa. It brought together labor unions, civic leaders, religious institutions and even former Klan members in an effort to confront the past trauma and bring about healing.

Rev. Johnson, who passed away on February 10, 2025 at the age of 81, was born on April 25, 1943 in Airlie, North Carolina.

He grew up on a family farm in Littleton, in Halifax County, where he graduated from an all-Black high school in 1961 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

After high school, Johnson joined the US Air Force and served at Westover Field in Massachusetts – and later in Baden, Germany – before being honorably discharged in 1965.

It was after his military service that his life’s work truly began.

He moved to Greensboro to attend North Carolina A&T State University – a decision that placed him at the front and center of the Civil Rights Movement in America since Greensboro became one of the South’s most historically significant battlegrounds for racial equality.

 In that movement, the city is best known for the Greensboro Sit-In by four Black NC A&T students who refused to leave the all-white lunch counter at the downtown Woolworth’s.  That now famous event set off a string of sit-ins across the South.

While at A&T, Johnson became deeply involved in activism, joining Youth Educational Services, and he later helped to form the Greensboro Association for Poor People and fiercely advocated for economic equity and social change.

In 1969, Johnson was both a witness to and a participant in the civil unrest that erupted at Dudley High School and at North Carolina A&T. The events were a turning point for him and those experiences are said to have led to his strong commitment to the political movements he played a big part in throughout the 1970s.

A man of deep spiritual conviction, Johnson earned his undergraduate degree from A&T in 1986 and then his Master of Divinity from Virginia Union School of Theology in 1989.

In 1991, he became the pastor of Faith Community Church in Greensboro, where he served with compassion and resolve.

That same year, he co-founded the Beloved Community Center – a grassroots organization committed to justice, community building and cooperative relationships across the lines of race, class, and gender.

“He was instrumental in founding the Beloved Community Center… dedicated to fostering social justice, collaborations, and equity,” the resolution states.

Rev. Johnson’s activism also reached beyond the city limits of Greensboro. He held leadership positions in national organizations such as the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice.  Locally, he contributed to interfaith and civic initiatives like the Greensboro Pulpit Forum, the Greensboro Justice Fund, and the Mayor’s Community Initiative.

Thursday night, Johnson will be honored by the board as a family man who cherished his loved ones. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Joyce, two daughters—Akua Johnson-Matherson and Ayo Samori Johnson—and four grandchildren: Alise, Imani, Nia, and Nelson Josiah.

“His commitment to community change was unmatched for his love of family,” the resolution states.

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