author
Kathryn M. (Kathryn Magnolia) Johnson
1878–1954
A pioneering Black educator, activist, and writer, she helped build early civil rights organizing in the United States and co-wrote a firsthand account of African American service during World War I. Her life joined teaching, public speaking, political action, and historical witness.
1 Audiobook
Two Colored women with the American Expeditionary Forces
by Addie W. Hunton, Kathryn M. (Kathryn Magnolia) Johnson
About the author
Born in Ohio in 1878, Kathryn Magnolia Johnson grew up in the community of Longtown and went on to study at Wilberforce University and the University of North Dakota. She began her career as a teacher, but her work soon widened into activism, journalism, and organizing on behalf of Black Americans.
Johnson was among the early members of the NAACP and became known for energetic public work, including lecturing, branch organizing, and campaigning for civil rights. During World War I, she served with the YMCA in France, helping support Black soldiers overseas.
She is best remembered in print as the co-author, with Addie W. Hunton, of Two Colored Women with the American Expeditionary Forces, an important firsthand book about the experiences of African American women workers and soldiers in wartime. She died in 1954, leaving behind a record of service that connects education, activism, and writing.