Mourners Pay Respects To Pioneering Georgia Lawmaker Leroy Johnson
State Sen. Leroy Johnson, foreground, speaks for a group of Atlanta African American leaders in support of Vice Mayor Sam Massell at a City Hall news conference on Monday, Oct. 20, 1969, in Atlanta. Johnson died last week.
Associated Press
When the late Georgia state Sen. Leroy Johnson walked in the State Capitol in for the first time in 1963, the signs on the restrooms and water fountains read “whites only” and “coloreds only.” He was initially denied entry into the State Capitol’s cafeteria. With the help of then-Gov. Carl Sanders, Johnson quietly desegregated the State Capitol. Fanfare didn’t come along with the change. Johnson preferred it that way.
The former educator and attorney’s impact remains today. Mourners paid their respects as he lay in state in the same building that he helped integrate. Current members of the Georgia Legislature were among those in attendance. Many cite Johnson as an influence on their respective careers.
State Rep. Patty Bentley traveled from her rural district to show her respects to Johnson. The Fort Valley Democrat never met him but said she had to make the trip.
“Sen. Leroy Johnson paved the way for legislators like myself to be able to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives today,” Bentley said.
State Sen. Donzella James had a personal relationship with Johnson dating back to when she was a child. Her father grew up with him. James, who represents parts of Johnson’s former district in Fulton County, said she will never forget the advice he gave her.
“He was like my uncle, daddy, cousin — all of the above. But, more than anything else, he was my mentor,” James said. “And, he told me to aim high and reach for the stars and never settle for anything less.”
For state Rep. Sharon Beasley-Teague, who also represents parts of Fulton County, Johnson made changes that we sometimes take for granted today.
“He made everyday life better and a place where all people were included,” Beasley-Teague said.
Johnson died last week at age 91. Funeral services are set for noon Friday at Ebenezer Baptist Church
Top Stories
