Mokah Jasmine Johnson

Mokah Jasmine Johnson is a community activist, social entrepreneur, and educator in Athens, Georgia. She is the co-founder of Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM), a civil rights organization formed in 2016 as a community effort to combat discrimination.[1]

On August 14, 2019, Mokah Jasmine Johnson announced that she is exploring a run for the Georgia House of Representatives’ House District 117 seat.[2]

On January 2, 2020, Johnson officially announced her candidacy to run for the seat.[3] Her campaign has been endorsed by former President Barack Obama, Stacey Abrams, former Attorney General Eric Holder, Georgia Association of Educators, Georgia AFL-CIO, the Georgia Working Families Party, Swing Left, Fair Fight, Democracy for America, EMILY's List, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Georgia Stonewall Democrats, and Our Revolution Georgia.

Early life, education and career

Originally from Jamaica, Johnson migrated to the United States. She met her husband, Knowa D. Johnson, in Orlando, Florida in 2004. Together, they have built a blended family of seven children and seven grandchildren. In 2012, the pair moved to the area of Athens, Georgia, where they currently reside. Though at various times they lived outside of Athens proper.

In 2012, she and her husband founded of United Group of Artists, a special events production, management, and marketing company. Through their company, they have curated multiple community events, including Athens Hip-Hop Awards, Athens MLK Day Parade and Music Fest, and the Athens in Harmony concert.[4]

Mokah Jasmine Johnson was first called to action in activism against discrimination in 2015, when a popular Athens bar called General Beauregard’s served a drink with a racial slur in the title. It was determined that there was no proof a drink ever existed beyond a baseless social media claim. [5] Propelled into action by this incident, the Johnsons co-founded Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement in January of 2016.[6] Johnson stepped down as president of AADM to run for Georgia House District 117. She did not win this seat as many pointed out she had tenuous ties to the communities she claimed to represent. [7]

From 2013 to 2016, Mokah founded and operated the VIP Girlz Hip-Hop Dance and Leadership Program, a mentorship and dance program designed to develop the skills and confidence of girls in Athens. Mokah now serves as the Hip-Hop Director for Girls Rock, a program that works to build self-esteem, inspire confidence, and encourage creativity in girls through mentorship and dance.[8]

Mokah has ten years of experience working as an educator, and worked for four years at Athens Technical College as an adult GED educator.

Johnson has a B.S. in Marketing Management from Everest University, and an M.S. in Education Media Design and Technology from Full Sail University.

Activism

Mokah Johnson claims to be a prominent activist in Athens, Georgia, organizing around issues such as discrimination, civil rights, criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, and voting rights.

Anti-Discrimination Efforts

As president of AADM, Johnson led efforts to bring attention to the discriminatory practices of downtown bars. This work led to the creation of a local alcohol license ordinance.[9]

In 2016, AADM launched the “United Against Discrimination” sticker campaign for businesses in downtown Athens.[10] In 2017, AADM launched the Swadeshi Black Market and Co-op to promote local minority-owned businesses.[11]

Johnson was pivotal to the creation of the AADM End School-to-Prison Pipeline program and a Teen Social Justice Club after school program.[12] The End School to Prison Pipeline program also provides meaningful community service opportunities for at risk youth and adults, and partners with local businesses to provide career mentoring services.[13]

Mokah also served on a task force created by former Athens Mayor Nancy Denson to develop a community-wide plan for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.[14] Johnson also led the push for the creation of an Inclusion Office and Inclusion Officer to focus on diversity and inclusion efforts in Athens.[15]

Criminal Justice Reform

In 2019, Mokah Johnson and AADM worked with the Georgia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and local social justice organization Athens for Everyone, to lobby for cash bail reform in Athens-Clarke County.[16] The work led to The Freedom Act of Athens-Clarke County on June 3, 2019. The Freedom Act put an end to cash bail for all violations of Athens-Clarke local ordinances, with an exception for violence and threats of violence.[17]

Community Policing and Race Relations

Working with the local public school system, Mokah has led youth development workshops and “Know Your Rights” seminars. Furthermore, by leading forums on topics including community policing and race relations, Mokah has worked to build unity and understanding in the Athens area. She has not though, worked much with any of the law enforcement agencies in assisting their community programs such as Shop With A Cop where toys are purchased for disadvantaged youth. [18]

Voting Rights

Johnson was featured on HBO Vice News 2018 Midterm election documentary for her “Get on the Bus and Vote” initiative.[19] In 2018, Johnson served on the Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections as the representative for the local Democratic party. The ACC BOE later used taxpayer money to violate state voting machine law in 2020 then cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. [20] [21]

Author

Johnson is the author of Spirit of an Activist: Stop Sitting on the Sidelines.[22] Spirit of an Activist is a 104-page autobiography about her life story, from her early days as a Jamaican immigrant in the United States to her recent activism work in building the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement as a response to racial injustices in her hometown and nationwide.

References
  1. "About". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  2. "Mokah for Georgia to Host Exploratory Meet and Greet". mokahforgeorgia.com. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  3. Steinbeck, Foster (2 January 2020). "Athens activist Mokah Jasmine Johnson announces campaign for Georgia House District 117". The Red and Black.
  4. "About". United Group Of Artists (UGA Live). 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  5. Rosalind Bentley, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "General Beauregard's closed after alleged racist drink incident". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  6. "About". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  7. "AADM New Leadership and Community Service Program". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  8. "ACTIVIST SPOTLIGHT: Mokah-Jasmine Johnson". Girls Rock Athens. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  9. Hammel @jp_hammel, John (November 2016). "Athens-Clarke County commission votes in favor of anti-discrimination ordinance, but leaves out option for citizen input". The Red and Black. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  10. "Get A Sticker". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  11. SandersCorrespondent, Julia. "Swadeshi Black Market seeks to support minority businesses". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  12. "Press Release: Teen Social Justice Afterschool Club aims to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  13. "End School To Prison Pipeline Program". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  14. "Athens Community Wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan". Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  15. Contributor, Jacqueline GaNun | (19 October 2019). "Athens appoints first Inclusion Officer for new Inclusion Office". The Red and Black. Retrieved 2019-12-31. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  16. "Progress on Criminal Justice Reform in Athens". Athens for Everyone. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  17. "Commission ends cash bail with the 'Freedom Act'". Athens Politics Nerd. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  18. "Meet Mokah". mokahforgeorgia.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  19. "She Strut For Justice Empowerment Tour". MOKAH JASMINE JOHNSON. 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  20. "Board of Elections Members | Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website". www.athensclarkecounty.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  21. "State Election Board Investigating Athens-Clarke's Decision to Use Hand-Marked Paper Ballots". 6 March 2020.
  22. "Spirit of an Activist: Stop Sitting on the Sidelines (Paperback) | Avid Bookshop". www.avidbookshop.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
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