Today we’d like to introduce you to Kennedy Johnson.
Hi Kennedy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I discovered my love for analyzing social issues my sophomore year in college. I found that I had a passion for studying educational inequality, specifically when looking at Black children. As a Sociology major in undergrad, and a current graduate student studying Sociology, I have learned the importance of employing both theory and praxis. Yes, learn as much as you can, be a student, but then what do you do with all of that knowledge? My ancestors knew that they had to educate themselves while also executing based on the information that they were learning; I thought it was really important for me to channel that same attitude. I am always advocating for Black youth and I love seeing Black kids be great in every area.
From my courses in college and from my personal experience, I know what I lacked when I was in school. There were so many things that I didn’t learn until college, and I felt it was unfair to withhold such valuable information from Black kids. From this space, I founded For The Black Kid, Inc. This happened legally in 2019, but I didn’t publicly launch anything until July of this year. I held onto the organization privately for a while, out of fear but also out of a desire to want everything to be perfect. After so much Black loss this year, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer, I launched on Juneteenth. Even though everything was not as perfect as I wanted it to be, it felt selfish and unrealistic to hold onto an organization that my community needed so badly.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. I’m currently a one-woman show, and I’m still managing graduate school, a social life, work, and this organization so it has by no means been an easy road. But this is definitely one of the most fulfilling things happening in my life at the moment. I think the most tedious part of this journey has just been educating myself sufficiently before doing anything. I have to learn so much to make sure that I am not leading anyone wrong so that responsibility can be heavy, but it definitely is fulfilling.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I consider myself a lifelong student. I am currently a graduate student working on completing my M.A. in Sociology. In addition to school, I am devoting myself full-time to running For The Black Kid, Inc. It’s what God has placed on my heart to focus on at the moment, so that’s what I’m doing. We specialize in teaching Black history, holistic wellness, entrepreneurship, innovation, and circulation of the Black dollar. Establishing this organization is probably what I’m most proud of right now, there aren’t many doing exactly what I’m doing with this organization so that feels good. It feels good to bring something unique and fresh to the Black youth in my community.
What’s next?
I plan on continuing my virtual programming series entitled “highs & hues”, this series features guests who are able to educate our audience on this organization’s main pillars, Black history, holistic wellness, entrepreneurship, innovation, and circulating the Black dollar. I plan to introduce even more virtual content in 2021, all of which will cover the five pillars that this organization is founded upon. I will also begin working with the Black youth in various schools and organizations, in addition to the youth that I am already working with virtually. Finally, I plan to add some new members to my team in order for this organization to reach more youth and tackle more tasks.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@fortheblackkid.org
- Website: fortheblackkid.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/fortheblackkidinc
- Facebook: facebook.com/fortheblackkid
- Twitter: twitter.com/fortheblackkid
- Other: patreon.com/fortheblackkid
