Today we’d like to introduce you to Gloria Johnson.
Hi Gloria, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’m Gloria Johnson, a State Representative in Tennessee’s House District 13. District 13 is in Knoxville and includes about 65,000 constituents in portions north, south, and west of the city center—though redistricting has changed that for next year and I will be in HD90. I never even thought about running for office until about 11 years ago; though justice and equity were driving forces in my life since childhood, the elected office was not on my radar. After finishing law school at the University of Tennessee, my father worked as a special agent in the FBI. That meant moving to a large city and then a “top ten” city, so my parents and big sis moved to Denver, where my brother and I were born, and then to Los Angeles. My parent’s goal was always to get back to East Tennessee, so when there was an opening in that direction, dad took a spot in Jackson, Mississippi.
It was 1967, a turbulent time in the south due to racism and extremist groups like the KKK. Barely a mile from my house, the KKK bombed a Jewish synagogue, and my father was part of the team who arrested some of the KKK members responsible. They threatened to kill my father and our family, so we had to leave our home until everything was safe. I learned the depth and breadth of hate, bigotry, and injustice at a young age. At my core, no human being should suffer those things, certainly not because of race, creed, sex, gender identity, or religion.
By the time I was in the 6th grade, my family had gotten their wish, and we were back in East Tennessee, Knoxville specifically! I attended Cedar Bluff Middle School and Farragut High School and then went to the University of Tennessee. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, and my heart kept leading me into special education. I knew that having learning disabilities had nothing to do with IQ levels, and I saw many students in my K-12 years who felt “less than” because they struggled with academics. It was clear they were smart; they just learned differently or excelled at other things. I wanted to be a part of helping them learn their strengths and accomplish things they thought weren’t possible for them. I was able to do that for 27 years, which was incredibly rewarding. Much of those 27 years were spent working with emotionally disturbed teenagers, something I loved doing, as they just needed someone to accept them where they were, with no judgment, and help them move forward. To move things forward, we must organize around issues that matter to Tennessee families. As a teacher, the Tennessee supermajority was taking away a teacher’s seat at the table and focusing on testing kids rather than teaching them, this was especially detrimental to special education students in our public schools, and I decided to run for office. I decided to run for office after learning to organize when I volunteered for the Obama campaign.
In 2012, I put the training I learned from the Obama campaign to work to win an election for House District 13, which had just recently been redistricted in 2011 to favor our supermajority, yet our hard work prevailed, and we won in 2012. As I am a Democrat and the district leaned Republican, the elections in 12′, 14′, and ’16 were all within a couple of hundred points each time. I was both on the winning and losing side of those elections, but in 2018 we won with a decisive 11-point lead and a large lead again in 2020. Here we are in 2021 with new districts, and I will continue to work hard for Tennessee families.
It has been a great honor to serve the families in HD13 and across the state; there is more work to do. I would love to see our politics focus on good policy for all rather than division and hate. I will keep fighting for affordable healthcare, great education, good jobs, equality, equity, and more for everyone in my district and the state.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
I don’t believe anyone has a smooth road; much of our character comes from the struggles along the way. I have had some health struggles, having open heart surgery at age 20 and some episodes that come along with that, and learning that even with insurance, good health is expensive! I certainly recognize that I come from a place of privilege, and my struggles can’t be compared to many others who came through so much more. I appreciate my educational background; most of my experience was in underserved communities. I learned to appreciate families and people with different backgrounds and struggles and recognize that we all don’t start on equal footing. That is why I am passionate about public education and ensuring every child has a great public school, no matter their zip code. Education is the cornerstone of our democracy, and we need to ensure everyone has full access; it’s one of the best ways to level the playing field for everyone. My current struggles are political ones, fighting for progressive policies like fully funded public schools and affordable healthcare in a state where most elected leaders want to privatize public education and refuse to expand Medicaid. A supermajority is passing legislation allowing adults and children to be discriminated against because of their gender identity. A supermajority has passed legislation that makes being houseless a felony. This is not who most of us are; we must fight for our better angels to prevail and lift all families in our community.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Well, one thing about moving into politics after being a special education teacher is eye-opening! I went from being part of a supportive community that respects teachers and having few “enemies” to a position where just declaring a party gives you instant enemies. I specialize in getting as many of those folks as possible to look at issues from a different perspective, something we must do to win elections. But that requires meeting someone where they are and providing factual information to help them move forward, just as I did as a teacher. I’m known for being a fighter, standing tall and not backing down when fighting for families, even with a supermajority against me. I was the lone vote against our Speaker. I could not cast a vote for a man who kept hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans from access to healthcare and fought to keep the bust of a murderous slave trader and the first Grand Wizard of the KKK in a place of honor in our Capitol. As the lone vote against him, I was given a closet for an office for a year while an empty member’s office sat directly across the hall from me. He thought he was punishing me, but he punished the 65,000 people of HD13 in retaliation for a vote of conscience, doing what was just. I will continue speaking truth to power and fighting for all in my community, and I won’t back down. Some of the work I am most proud of as a legislator is raising awareness of the Community Schools model in our state and across our country and watching that model grow across the country, bringing real solutions for kids in struggling communities.
Also, COVID was tough for everyone in the country, and as families dealt with unemployment in our state, it was devastating. I am proud I was able to help so many people get access to life-saving unemployment with an overburdened, outdated system when they needed it most. It was an impossible system for so many, and getting them through it, talking with them, and listening to their frustrations was an honor.
I think that what sets me apart from so many other legislators is, once a teacher, always a teacher, I suppose. I spend a lot of time educating folks on the issues, the process, and the importance of their participation. Understanding the ins and outs of our government can be daunting, and if folks understand it, they are more likely to want to participate in it.
We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Can you share something that might surprise us?
I am always joking around, I was voted “Class Clown” in high school, and I can still goof around with the best of them. When I get it, much of my free time is spent watching live music, traveling, or both simultaneously! Oh, and of course, I’m 6’3,” and I didn’t play basketball.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.votegloriajohnson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/repgloriajohnson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoteGloriaJohnson/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VoteGloriaJ
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-angshI1hutjCAjJW5B3fQ
