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St. Olaf to host 'state treasure' Josie Johnson speaking on civility in peril

By David Gonnerman '90
November 11, 2004

Distinguished Twin Cities community volunteer Josie Johnson will present "Is Civility at Risk?" at St. Olaf on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 4 p.m. in Viking Theater, Buntrock Commons. Johnson's lecture, part of the O. Jay and Pat Tomson Lecture on Servant Leadership during the college's Center for Experiential Learning Servant Leadership Week Nov. 11-17, is free and open to the public.

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"I define civility as more than manners, politeness, courtesy and decorum," explains Johnson, who fears that warning signs about our society's loss of civility are being ignored. "I define it as a way of life -- a way of thinking -- a civil responsibility to self, to others and to our environment."

Described by one Twin Cities newspaper as a "state treasure," Johnson has been an active public servant since moving to Minnesota in 1956. She served as acting director for the Minneapolis Urban League in the late 1960s and helped establish the Minnesota State Human Rights Department. Active in the civil rights movement -- including the 1963 March on Washington -- Johnson also has traveled to Mississippi to help advance the rights of women and children. In the 1970s, she became the first African-American to serve on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.

Johnson has served on numerous community organization boards, including the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota Medical Foundation, the Given Foundation, Catholic Community Foundation, Tubman Family Alliance Center, Women's Health Fund Board, Minnesota NAACP, Minnesota Youth Symphony and the Leland/Johnson Common Vision Program.

Johnson's many awards include the Minneapolis Urban League Cecil E. Newman Humanitarian Award, Woman of the Year by Iota Phi Lambda, the Commitment to Vision Award from the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights and induction into the Twin Citian Volunteer Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Johnson has been appointed senior fellow in the University of Minnnesota's College of Education. She has also served as the associate vice president for academic affairs. Since 1996, she has been President of Josie Robinson Johnson and Associates, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.