Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Endowment

The purpose of the Fund is to provide support of the Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy. With support from the University of Georgia’s Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community, the School of Law and School of Public and International Affairs established the Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy in honor of the late jurist, who was a trailblazer for the Black community in Georgia.  This lecture series provides an opportunity for our campus community to hear from thought leaders at the intersection of race, law, and policy. 

Johnson was a pioneer throughout his life. He was one of five students who helped desegregate Newton County, Georgia, schools in the 1960s. He graduated from the UGA School of Law in 1982. After briefly working in Atlanta, Johnson became the first Black attorney to practice in his home county. In 2002, he became the first Black Superior Court judge to serve in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit when then-Gov. Roy Barnes appointed him to the post. He remained in this role until his death in July 2020.