Nellie Stone Johnson Legacy Lives On Through Labor, Education and Community
Civil rights activist Nellie Stone Johnson broke barriers in Minnesota through her work in labor organizing, politics and education. More than two decades after her death, her legacy continues through scholarships, labor advocacy and the people inspired by her lifelong fight for equity and opportunity.
Nellie Stone Johnson broke glass ceilings as a Black civil rights activist in Minnesota, fighting for labor workers and championing the power of education. Though she passed in 2002 at the age of 96, her vision continues to shape communities today.
A friend and colleague, Tamrat Tademe, a professor at St. Cloud State University, said Johnson’s legacy lives on through labor unions, the Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship, and individuals inspired by her work.
“We all have a piece of Nellie in us … when I get up in the morning and I go and place money for the scholarship, go teach a class, what inspires me is what Nellie stood for,” Tademe said. “We internalize her vision and we try to do what is right within our limited capacity.”
Tademe first met Johnson when she was appointed trustee of the Minnesota State University system, the Interim Higher Education Board, and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities by the governor. Over time, Tademe came to view Johnson as a teacher, and the two spoke nearly every day.
Johnson’s father, Tademe said, instilled in her the value of labor and farmers’ rights. During the Great Depression, he helped feed those in need, demonstrating the importance of work and community.
“So here [Johnson] is in Minnesota as a farmer, and we don’t associate Black people with farming because of the stereotype of Black people being only urban,” Tademe said.
Johnson became a key founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party in 1944.
“The mark of the DFL vision is all over Minnesota, whether it’s commitment to education or a clean environment,” Tademe said. “Nellie combined the best of farming, revolutionary politics of empowering farmers and laborers, and she became an amazing labor organizer.”
Education was equally central to Johnson’s vision.
“She was very excited about fusing labor with education,” Tademe said. “She built programs to take young brothers and sisters off the street and educate them with skills.”
Johnson believed that education that ignored the value of labor or the power of working people was incomplete.
“She wanted young people to have skills; she wanted them to be educated,” Tademe said. Her 1995 commencement speech at St. Cloud State University reflected this philosophy:
“The greatest tool you have been given is vision…you have always had a vision. A vision through education has been honed, focused. This vision, however, means nothing unless it is pursued, followed, turned into action. Yes, your visions include economic security for family, success for yourself. But this is hollow unless you strive to realize a shared vision for the community in which we live. You cannot be an educated island of people. You must and will interact with society and all its peoples.”
Tademe said Johnson’s ability to collaborate across racial lines set her apart.
“She was not sectarian,” he said. “Nellie did not say, ‘I’ll work with you only if you’re Black.’ Nellie’s color was principle.”
She also demanded to be heard in the face of gender and racial barriers.
“Once Nellie was in the union, gender domination and white supremacy were alive and well … Nellie would get to the table, not as a silent cosmetic attachment. She raised her voice and didn’t put up with scraps,” Tademe said.
Johnson’s work remains relevant today. Issues she addressed: police abuse, economic inequities, disempowerment of people of color, and education gaps persist, Tademe said.
“If these issues were settled, we could just celebrate Nellie as a historical figure,” he said. “But her work is ongoing. Bridge building is one legacy she gave us.”
Labor unions also face challenges today.
“With the super-rich in Minnesota and in the White House, labor is under attack,” Tademe said. “They want to bust unions, depress wages. But her vision is still alive. Has it suffered setbacks? Yes, but it’s still alive.”
The Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship supports students of color whose parents are in unions. Tademe, who serves on the scholarship board, said:
“So many students have used our funds for undergraduate and graduate work. Programs live only when the vision is alive.”
Scholarship recipient Roseline Ameyaw said she discovered Johnson while researching the application.
“It’s very important that the mission aligns with my integrity and values,” she said. Ameyaw founded the nonprofit Leading with Love Foundation, which dismantles financial stigma and inequities in education and housing.
“I think a lot of people today believe talk is cheap. You see politicians forgetting their why, but Nellie Stone never forgot hers,” Ameyaw said. “If you have a mission you’re passionate about, always return to your why. That keeps you grounded.”
Tademe continues to honor Johnson’s legacy by teaching Minnesota history and including her biography, “Nellie Stone Johnson: The Life of an Activist,” in his curriculum.
“I tell my students that we are all standing on the shoulders of people who fought for us,” he said.
Damenica Ellis welcomes reader responses at dellis@spokesman-recorder.com.