Harry E. Johnson, Sr
Harry
E. Johnson Sr., an attorney in Houston, is the president of the
Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project,
Inc., which is constructing the first memorial on the National Mall to
honor an African American.
Johnson earned the bachelor’s degree in political science at Xavier
University of New Orleans. He has completed graduate studies in public
administration at Washington University in St. Louis and earned the
doctor of jurisprudence from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston.
From 2001 to 2004, Johnson served as the national (general) president of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., an organization of more than 175,000
college-educated men. He spearheaded such innovative programs as the
value-added services program, which allowed fraternity members to
receive discounts on goods and services from participating vendors while
at the same time created a new revenue stream for the fraternity.
Johnson also created an Economic Development Foundation for the
fraternity. Through this program, the fraternity made an unprecedented,
$30-million deal with Church’s Chicken (AFC) that allows its members to
develop up to 50 Church’s Chicken restaurants in urban areas across the
country. The focus on economic empowerment and job creation continued as
Johnson worked to bring on another partner, Dominoes Pizza.
Other accomplishments include: the creation of a Political Action
Committee—chaired by the Honorable Marc Morial, the former mayor of New
Orleans; the extension of the role and membership of Alpha Phi Alpha’a
Think Tank (World Policy Council)—including adding new members Cornell
West and Congressman Ronald Dellums (Ret. Calif.); and the addition of a
lecture series on tolerance and a focus on the issue of HIV infections
and AIDS to The World Policy Council’s role.
Under Johnson’s leadership, Alpha Phi Alpha provided the Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America organization with more African American role
models than ever before in its 100-year history. Johnson’s vision of
growth led Big Brothers Big Sisters to elect him to its national board.
He also is a member of the national board of One Hundred Black Men
Among Johnson’s professional affiliations are the National Bar
Association, American Bar Association, NAACP and Boy Scouts of American.
Texas Governor Rick Perry. also appointed Johnson to the Texas Southern
University Board of Regents.
Johnson has been married for 24 years to his wife, Karen. They reside in
Houston and have three children: Jennifer, Harry Jr. and Nicholas.
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