February is not the only time Tubman celebrates Black History, but it is the month that we promote our Black History events and share Black History facts for the wider community. February 2026 marks 100 years of Black History Month, originally Negro History Week, incorporated by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926. This year, Tubman is celebrating our 50th anniversary, and in recognition of this milestone, we will be sharing Tubman history throughout the year. Which is why this Black History Month, we are sharing the Black History that led to the creation and sustainability of Tubman.
The second feature in Tubman's Black History series is Dr. Josie R. Johnson, Board Member Emeritus, Tubman Advisory Board Member, and champion of the Civil Rights Movement in Minneapolis.
Dr. Josie R. Johnson was born October 7, 1930, in San Antonio, Texas, and grew up in Houston. Her thirst for justice began earlier, where as a teenager, Dr. Johnson would accompany her father door-to-door gathering signatures opposing poll taxes, and also her mother with tutoring illiterate white women. Dr. Johnson moved to Minnesota with her husband in the late 1950’s as part of his job at Honeywell. Her time in Minnesota yielded a multi-decade career in Civil Rights and social justice: she was a community organizer then director of the Urban League, was active in the Minnesota DFL, was an officer with the Minnesota chapter of the NAACP, championed against housing discrimination in St. Paul, was the first Black person appointed to the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents, worked with the League of Women Voters, led the Minnesota delegation at the 1963 March on Washington, and so much more to become known as the “First Lady of Minnesota Civil Rights.”
Through her work with fair housing, education, and support of women and children, it is no wonder that Dr. Johnson’s life would intersect with Tubman’s work. In the early 1990s, Dr. Johnson was approached to chair the fundraising campaign committee to build Harriet Tubman Center, previously known as Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter, in Minneapolis. Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter had been in operation since 1976 and was the third domestic violence shelter (formerly known as battered women’s shelters) in the country. With the encouragement of founder Sharon Sayles Belton, Dr. Johnson agreed to co-chair the committee beginning in 1991. The new Harriet Tubman Center opened in 1995, with artwork commissioned by local artist Seitu Jones depicting Harriet Tubman and her journey to freedom. Dr. Johnson later proudly served on Tubman’s Board of Directors and is a member of Tubman’s honorary Advisory Board.
In 2019 Dr. Johnson released her memoir, Hope in the Struggle, chronicling her life and social justice work in Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Tubman would not be the organization we are today without the fierce advocacy of Dr. Josie Johnson and her decades of work supporting safety, hope, and healing in Minnesota and beyond.
