Francys Johnson - Civil Rights

Civil Rights

Johnson became active as a leader in the NAACP in grassroots organizing and work in Bulloch County, Georgia.

He served as Legal Redress Director for the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP. During his tenure, the Georgia State Conference NAACP fought successfully in alliance with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) during the 2006 midterm elections to gain a federal court injunction that prevented Republican-supported voter identification legislation from being implemented to restrict voter access to the Georgia polls. It would have required voters without a driver's license to pay to get a new digital identification card; previously, 17 types of readily available identification, such as copies of utility bills, were acceptable. Opponents of the bill thought it was a violation of the Voting Rights Act and designed to exclude poor minority voters. The Republicans said they were trying to ensure there was no voter fraud, although it had not been identified as a problem. In the 2004 election, as many as 150,000 Georgians used alternative identification to vote.

In 2006 Johnson was appointed as the NAACP Southeast Region Director, to head the region with the most members. As regional director, Johnson strengthened the NAACP's legal and political influence in the deep South by working to establish "Citizen Review Boards" to counter increasing incidents of police brutality in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida; monitor aging desegregation orders in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama; and mobilize local and regional support to thwart regression of affirmative action, as occurred in California and Michigan.

On behalf of the NAACP Southeast Region, Johnson opposed the approval by the Georgia Senate Rules Committee in March 2007 of a bill to establish April as Confederate History and Heritage Month, noting that the state had never apologized for slavery. He criticized supporters of the history bill, saying, "You can't honor the past and not take responsibility for it." Johnson also worked successfully to reform Georgia's criminal law where its disparate application produced racial disparities. One such campaign was successful in overturning the aggravated child molestation conviction of Genarlow Wilson (born April 8, 1986 to Juanessa Bennett and Marlow Wilson). Genarlow Wilson was 17 years old and the girl was 15 years old when the sexual encounter took place. Wilson was convicted of felony aggravated child molestation. He has already spent two years behind bars. Since Wilson was convicted Georgia changed its law on teenage sex. Wilson was initially ordered released earlier this month but the ruling was overturned after a surprising appeal from the state attorney general. Several civil rights groups have rallied behind the case. Dr. Francys Johnson of the NAACP said: " convinced that justice has taken a summer vacation in Georgia." See Wilson v. State, 652 S.E. 2d 501, 282 Ga. 520 (2007).

After the President and CEO Bruce S. Gordon resigned, the NAACP announced on June 1, 2007 it would restructure, closing the regional offices to emphasize roles of the state conferences. Johnson was appointed as Executive Director of the Georgia State Conference.