Fayetteville’s Dr. Aaron Johnson is a Civil Rights hero. We can't let his legacy be forgotten

Members of the Black History Ministry at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate one of their own, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Aaron J. Johnson, on Sunday, Feb. 25, at the 8:30 a.m. service. Black History Month was created to celebrate the lives and contributions of African Americans to the United States.

Each year, figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa Parks are often elevated — and rightfully so. Still, many untold stories reveal the best of citizens who stepped up when duty called and quietly made a difference in their respective communities. One such unsung hero is among us in the person of Rev. Dr. Aaron J. Johnson.

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Rev. Johnson is a native of Willard. Willard is an unincorporated community in Pender County. After he received undergraduate degrees in Social Studies and Theology from Shaw University, Johnson was unanimously chosen to serve as pastor and minister of Mt. Sinai MBC in 1960.

Johnson has been involved in the Civil Rights Movement for much of his adult life. While a student at Shaw, he helped organize the school’s first NAACP College Chapter, serving as President of the State NAACP College Chapters. During his senior year in Divinity School, he attended a National MLK workshop on non-violence and civil disobedience for ministers conducted by Dr. King.

After arriving in Fayetteville, he immediately put his training to work, helping to organize demonstrations with other community leaders, Fayetteville State University and high school students. Mt. Sinai MBC became the gathering place for daily marches, demonstrations and sit-ins at lunch counters, the bus station and other public places. Johnson also was a member of the NAACP committee to investigate police brutality after a black soldier was killed at the bus station.

A critical relationship in U.S. history

In 1980, when then-candidate Ronald Reagan was running for President, he attended a Republican dinner in Greensboro where Rev. Johnson gave the invocation. Johnson’s prayer so moved Reagan that he invited him to do the invocation at the Republican National Convention, which launched Reagan’s successful presidential candidacy.

That relationship would prove critical several years later when President Reagan was reportedly reluctant to sign legislation establishing a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Considering the controversial decision, one of the President’s advisors arranged a meeting for Reagan with Johnson and some other African Americans.

Johnson shared his experience with Dr. King at the National MLK workshop, and he and others convinced the President to sign the bill establishing the national holiday. On Nov. 2, 1983, President Reagan signed H.R. 3706, officially creating Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday.

Rev. Johnson served three terms on the Fayetteville City Council, serving one term as mayor pro tem. His public service also includes seven years as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Corrections. Johnson’s recognitions and achievements are vast, including two honorary degrees — Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Humane Letters from Shaw University.

On March 6, he will celebrate his 91st birthday. The public is invited to join him for an oral interview on Saturday, March 9, 3 to 5 p.m., at Mt. Sinai MBC, 1217 Murchison Rd.

Troy Williams is a member of The Fayetteville Observer Community Advisory Board. He is a legal analyst and criminal defense investigator. He can be reached at talk2troywilliams@yahoo.com.