446:"I've always been preaching a simple message, jobs, jobs, jobs. Clear back in 1950s, it was fashionable for white liberals to go out to dinner with black people. They'd take you to a restaurant like Charlie's and people would think 'Isn't this nice? This wouldn't happen in some places.' But I'd say, even then, 'What good does it do if we can go into nice restaurants if we can't afford to order in them."
28:
433:
department, which was the first of its kind in the nation. In 1955, she led the initiative to create a statewide version of the
Minneapolis legislation, the Employment Practices Act of 1955. She also authored the 1950 initiative from the Minneapolis NAACP that led to the desegregation of the US armed forces.
354:
Foree) Allen, one of the few black farming families in
Minnesota in the early 1900s. Nellie’s family owned their first two farms between 1905 and 1918. Her mother was a college-educated schoolteacher from Kentucky and had African American, French, Irish and American Indian ancestry. Their family had
402:
In 1924, she was hired as an elevator attendant at the all-male
Minneapolis Athletic Club, earning $ 15 per week. After her wages were cut to $ 12.50, she began quietly organizing workers with the Minneapolis Hotel and Restaurant Workers union. In the 1930s she joined the University of Minnesota's
439:
She was fired from her job at the
Minneapolis Athletic Club in 1950 and in October 1950, she resigned her position as Chair of the Hennepin County Progressive Party. She lost a union election for the Local 665 in January 1951, at a time when left wing officers in the union were on the wane. In
432:
Johnson was the main force behind the creation of state and local Fair
Employment Practices departments, which later became the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission and the state Human Rights Department. In the 1940s she spearheaded the drive to create the Minneapolis Fair Employment Practices
359:, helping organize farmers and co-founding the Twin Cities Milk Producers Association. When she was 13, she distributed literature for the Nonpartisan League on her way to school. Nellie attended public schools in both Dakota and
464:
A seamstress, in 1963 Johnson opened her own sewing and alterations shop in the old Kresge building. She continued her business in downtown
Minneapolis for over 30 years. In the 1980s her store in the
228:
386:, initially at the agriculture school. She took chemistry, intending to become a pharmacist, before gravitating towards social and political science. While at the university she took classes from
1146:
1141:
418:
in 1941 at Duluth State
College. She would later mentor him in civil rights issues. In 1944, she was on the committee that merged the moderate Minnesota Democratic Party with the more radical
811:
237:
617:
Brauer, p. 4 "On my father's side, the Allens, it was German and black... a smattering of
Cherokee... On my mother's side, there had to be a lot of French, Irish, and Seminole.
980:
368:
245:
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542:, a 2013 play about her life, premiered at St. Paul's History Theatre in 2013. A statue of Nellie Stone Johnson by Sculptor Tim Cleary was unveiled at the
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The Nellie Stone
Johnson Scholarship Program was founded in 1989 and offers scholarships to minority students from union families.
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In 1945, she was elected to the
Library Board and became the first black person to be elected to a citywide office in Minneapolis.
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372:
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172:
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Johnson was married twice, to Clyde Stone for eight years, and to Lee Johnson for five years. Both marriages ended in divorce.
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902:
771:
515:. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Black Caucus of the American Association for Higher Education in 2000.
322:(DFL) and spearheaded the effort to create the first Fair Employment Practices department in the nation. She counseled both
526:
Nellie Stone Johnson Community School in Minneapolis is named for her. She was an inspiration for the 1992 public artwork
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1131:
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In September 1922, Nellie moved to Minneapolis where she was a live-in nanny for a white family that lived close to
419:
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488:
331:
158:
796:
563:
408:
1085:
958:
Johnson, Denise (December 1995). "After 90 years, Nellie Stone Johnson going strong to push her causes".
458:
382:. She then moved into her aunt and uncle's house in north Minneapolis. She took extension courses at the
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in 1919. She would milk cows every morning and earned money by trapping muskrat and mink. She joined the
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404:
115:
936:
642:
Perry, Steve (May 29, 1991). "The Good Fight: Nellie Stone Johnson's 70 years in Minnesota politics".
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was known as Nellie's Shirt & Zipper Shop and in 1988 her store was named Nellie's Alterations.
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487:
appointed her to the Minnesota State University Board in 1982. In the 1980s she was a member of the
476:
465:
343:
55:
739:
Blackwell, Edward (March 2, 1951). "Nellie Stone Letter Confirms Her Break With Leftist Parties".
440:
February 1951, Johnson formally severed her relations with the Progressive and Communist Parties.
543:
383:
177:
99:
92:
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360:
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Mengelkoch, Louise (May 27, 1986). "'I lead a pretty ordinary life' – Nellie Stone Johnson".
208:
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347:
8:
836:
Altrowitz, Abe (May 5, 1966). "Wish for Extra Shirt Pocket Leads Abe to Nellie's Store".
364:
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912:
535:
356:
182:
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898:
767:
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Making Minnesota Liberal: Civil Rights and the Transformation of the Democratic Party
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472:
812:"Dakota County History 101: Nellie Stone Johnson (1905–2002) Civil Rights Activist"
494:
After a power struggle, she was ousted from the Minneapolis Urban League in 1987.
415:
323:
129:
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Vice-President, Minnesota Culinary Council, Minneapolis Library Board, 1945–1949
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504:. The book was edited and organized by David Brauer from over 50 interviews.
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Minneapolis National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
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November 21, 2022, and was first statue of a woman on Capitol grounds.
479:. She traveled to Africa for the State Department with Vice President
312:
77:
1088:: James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library. 1983. Archived from
471:
Johnson continued to be active in state and local politics and was
307:
organizer. She was the first African-American elected official in
475:'s campaign manager in his successful 1979 bid for a seat on the
436:
She had differences with the Communist party leadership in 1946.
1024:"Nellie Stone Johnson honored with statue at the State Capitol"
1147:
American people who self-identify as being of Seminole descent
1142:
American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent
1101:
145:
1076:
Nellie Stone Johnson in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia
868:"For many, the state is no longer the land of 10,000 dreams"
721:
Chandler, Kurt (November 11, 1988). "The durable radical".
242:
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees
1096:
407:. In 1936, she became a member and then vice president of
397:
851:"Nellie Stone, Left-Winger, Defeated in Union Election".
762:. Minneapolis, Minn. : Univ. of Minnesota Press. p.
299:(December 17, 1905 – April 2, 2002) was an American
1082:"Life in Minneapolis in the 1930s: Nellie Stone Johnson"
342:
Nellie Saunders Allen was born, the oldest of eight, in
523:
She died on April 2, 2002, in Minneapolis. She was 96.
935:. Minnesota Department of Human Rights. Archived from
933:"1905: Civil Rights Leader Nellie Stone Johnson Born"
897:. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press.
893:
Holm, David Vassar Taylor; foreword by Bill (2002).
585:"City Elects First Negro In Library Board Contest".
1007:Pfister, Darlene (March 1, 2000). "The activist".
411:'s Local 665, Hotel and Restaurant Workers union.
355:a dairy farm and her father was involved with the
278:Urban League's Cecil E. Newman Humanitarian Award,
394:and Swan Assarson. She finished her GED in 1925.
1108:
977:"Activist, businesswoman, Nellie Stone Johnson"
1022:Tribune, Zoë Jackson Star (21 November 2022).
1084:(Interview). Interviewed by Loken, Vivian M.
1052:Nellie Stone Johnson: The Life of an Activist
971:
969:
502:Nellie Stone Johnson: The Life of an Activist
1152:History of civil rights in the United States
917:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
363:. The family moved to a larger farm east of
1137:Activists for African-American civil rights
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371:as a teenager. Nellie attended school in
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229:Hotel and Restaurant International Union
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457:In the 1960s, she raised money for the
424:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
398:Labor organizing and political activity
320:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
188:Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
1109:
1054:. Saint Paul, Minn.: Ruminator Books.
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1192:American women civil rights activists
1102:Nellie Stone Johnson Community School
983:from the original on January 24, 2013
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1197:21st-century African-American people
1187:20th-century African-American people
1157:People from Dakota County, Minnesota
892:
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787:Bauerlein, Monika (April 10, 2002).
620:
1202:21st-century African-American women
1182:20th-century African-American women
826:
810:Roberts, Chad (September 3, 2011).
518:
13:
874:from the original on June 15, 2012
414:Johnson met future Vice President
14:
1213:
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789:"Nellie Stone Johnson: 1905–2002"
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238:Minnesota State University Board
1167:People from Hinckley, Minnesota
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803:
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1127:University of Minnesota alumni
895:African Americans in Minnesota
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281:Distinguished Minnesotan Award
1:
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979:. African American Registry.
507:Johnson was a trustee of the
489:Democratic National Committee
452:
332:Democratic National Committee
159:Democratic National Committee
866:Grow, Doug (July 26, 1992).
754:Delton, Jennifer A. (2002).
564:List of civil rights leaders
7:
1086:Minneapolis Central Library
557:
113:Honorary Doctor of Letters,
10:
1218:
1172:Minnesota Farmer–Laborites
1162:Activists from Minneapolis
1132:African-American activists
509:Minneapolis Public Library
116:St. Cloud State University
350:, to William and Gladys (
287:WCCO Good Neighbor Award.
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477:Minneapolis City Council
466:Lumber Exchange Building
344:Dakota County, Minnesota
338:Early life and education
318:Johnson helped form the
284:Bemidji State University
246:Minneapolis Urban League
56:Dakota County, Minnesota
662:Minnesota Women's Press
544:Minnesota State Capitol
461:of Martin Luther King.
384:University of Minnesota
315:politics for 70 years.
178:Young Communists League
173:Socialist Workers Party
100:University of Wisconsin
93:University of Minnesota
1050:Brauer, David (1999).
511:and a board member of
405:Young Communist League
741:Minneapolis Spokesman
483:in 1980 and Governor
209:Civil rights movement
42:Nellie Saunders Allen
1177:Minnesota socialists
838:The Minneapolis Star
297:Nellie Stone Johnson
264:Lee Johnson, m. 1947
261:Clyde Stone, m. 1931
221:Board member of
20:Nellie Stone Johnson
855:. January 23, 1951.
853:Minneapolis Tribune
420:Farmer–Labor Party
357:Nonpartisan League
183:Farmer-Labor Party
165:Nonpartisan League
904:978-0-87351-420-0
822:on July 12, 2012.
773:978-0-8166-3922-9
528:Shadows of Spirit
473:Van Freeman White
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52:December 17, 1905
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870:. Star Tribune.
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818:. Archived from
816:Northfield Patch
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799:on May 29, 2011.
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589:. June 12, 1945.
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519:Death and legacy
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168:Young Socialists
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536:Ta-coumba Aiken
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491:for two terms.
459:Freedom Marches
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416:Hubert Humphrey
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373:Clover Township
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330:and was on the
324:Hubert Humphrey
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227:Vice-President
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130:Union organizer
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109:Alma mater
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1092:on 2012-03-03.
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1090:the original
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1031:. Retrieved
1028:Star Tribune
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1009:Star Tribune
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987:February 27,
985:. Retrieved
960:Star Tribune
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943:February 27,
941:. Retrieved
937:the original
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878:February 29,
876:. Retrieved
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485:Rudy Perpich
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392:Paul Robeson
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317:
301:civil rights
296:
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142:Organization
68:(2002-04-02)
1122:2002 deaths
1117:1905 births
532:Seitu Jones
380:Loring Park
311:and shaped
309:Minneapolis
231:, Local 665
161:(1979–1988)
123:Occupations
74:Minneapolis
1111:Categories
1044:References
1033:2024-02-29
793:City Pages
644:City Pages
453:Later life
134:Seamstress
48:1905-12-17
913:cite book
348:Lakeville
313:Minnesota
98:Attended
91:GED from
85:Education
78:Minnesota
981:Archived
872:Archived
558:See also
390:and met
365:Hinckley
197:Movement
426:(DFL).
346:, near
255:Spouses
1058:
901:
770:
540:Nellie
272:Awards
118:, 1995
95:, 1925
570:Notes
513:MnSCU
369:NAACP
305:union
146:NAACP
1056:ISBN
989:2012
945:2012
919:link
899:ISBN
880:2012
768:ISBN
534:and
326:and
63:Died
38:Born
530:by
409:AFL
352:née
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911:{{
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
