Francys Johnson

Francys Johnson (born June 10, 1979) is an American civil rights attorney, pastor and educator. He is in private practice as an attorney in Statesboro, Georgia. He has lectured on constitutional and criminal law, civil rights and race and politics at Savannah State University and Georgia Southern University.

Long active in the NAACP in Georgia, in 2006 he was appointed as Southeast Region Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). After the national organization restructured and closed the regional offices, he served as executive director of the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP. On October 5, 2013, he was described as the civil rights organization's youngest President at the 71st Civil Rights Convention in Columbus, Georgia. Johnson is the Convener of Moral Monday Georgia Movement, a multi-issue, multiracial, nonpartisan coalition of organizations aimed at restoring positive morality to public discourse, policy, and politics.

Early life and education Johnson was born in Sylvania, Georgia, where he attended public schools. Johnson earned an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University, a J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, and a post-doctoral certification in dispute resolution and mediation from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In March 2005, he chaired an annual conference roundtable discussion at the National Council for Black Studies. Educators from Dillard University, the Algebra Project, and the University of New Orleans discussed "Quality Education as Civil Rights." Johnson is a Partner with Davis Bozeman Johnson Law with offices in Decatur, Savannah, and Statesboro, Georgia. He practices criminal and civil law in all State and Federal Courts in Georgia. The legislation would have required voters without a driver's license to pay to get a new digital picture identification card. Prior to the legislation, 17 types of identification, such as copies of utility bills and other documents without picture identification, were acceptable. Opponents of the legislation argued that it was a violation of the Voting Rights Act and expressed concern that it might have the effect of reducing minority voter participation. Proponents of the legislation argued that the legislation was an attempt to reduce voter fraud. In the 2004 election, as many as 150,000 Georgians used alternative identification to vote. As regional director, Johnson worked to strengthen the NAACP's legal and political influence in the deep South through the establishment of "Citizen Review Boards". The boards were intended to address incidents of alleged police brutality in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida, to monitor the application of desegregation orders in Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama, and to mobilize local and regional support for affirmative action.

On behalf of the NAACP Southeast Region, Johnson opposed a bill to establish April as Confederate History and Heritage Month, arguing that the state had never apologized for slavery. The bill passed, in committee, with a unanimous vote. In his opposition to the bill, Johnson stated, "You can't honor the past and not take responsibility for it." Ultimately, the Georgia Supreme Court ordered Generlow Wilson released.

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.

"Folks sometimes are confused about the NAACP; they think the NAACP deals only in black and white issues. That is certainly not the case. We deal in red, white and blue issues - American issues" Johnson said. "Our real work is to make sure that the Constitution and laws of these United States are equitably applied to every citizen - to make real the promise of America's democracy. The issues that I'm focused on are issues that all Georgians should be concerned about."

Johnson stepped down from his post on July 23, 2017, and was immediately rumored as a possible challenger to Congressman Rick Allen (R-Augusta) in the 2018 midterms eventually deciding to run for the seat. He won the Democratic nomination but lost to Allen in the general election. During Johnson's tenure the Georgia NAACP filed 10 federal and state lawsuits addressing redistricting and voting rights. Johnson is credited with restoring the voting rights litigation prowess of NAACP in Georgia while attracting younger professionals and bridging the gaps in Georgia between millennial activists groups such as Black Lives Matter.

"He was as comfortable leading the powerful demonstrations across Georgia in response to police-involved deaths of citizens and the Atlanta March for Women and Social Justice, the largest protest march in Georgia history at 63,000 protesters, as he was giving an argument in court or sermon in the pulpit," said the Rev. Raphael Warnock of Ebenezer Baptist Church. "That takes a rare combination of talents."

Religious leader Johnson became an ordained minister in the Baptist Church in the late 1990s. He is the ninth pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Pembroke, Georgia and the thirteenth pastor Magnolia Missionary Baptist Church of Statesboro, Georgia. Before becoming director of the Southeast Region of the NAACP, he had been named an "Emerging Leader" by the National Religious Leadership Summit.

Legacy and honors Johnson was inducted into the John F. Nolen Jr. Hall of Leaders for Excellence in Service & Leadership at Georgia Southern University.