Rev. Vernon Johns was an activist and pastor who was known for his soaring intellectual sermons and eccentric style. Johns was Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s predecessor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, and is considered by many as the father of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Vernon Napoleon Johns was born April 22, 1892 in Darlington Heights, Va. Three of his grandparents were slaves and according to lore, his paternal grandfather killed his master and was hanged for it. Johns’ maternal grandfather served time in prison for killing a white man who tried to rape Johns’ maternal grandfather.
The family was too poor to send Johns to school but he taught himself and became a voracious reader. Johns learned several languages during this period, which helped him when he entered Oberlin Seminary. There, he became a stellar student. He then attended the University of Chicago’s graduate school of theology ahead of working as a pastor for several churches between Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
In 1926, Johns was the first African-American to have his work published in the book, Best Sermons Of The Year. The following year, he wed pianist and teacher Altona Trent, who worked at what would eventually become Alabama State University. It was Johns’ wife that helped forge the connection that would lead him to preaching at Dexter Avenue.
Already famed for his sermons and eccentric everyman style, it reported that Johns incited controversy from the pulpit as he often called out church attendees over their desire for social status instead of self-reliance. He also would dress in odd ways in the pulpit, and used his gift for languages while preaching. Although his intellect was formidable, Johns preferred a simple man’s life and continued to farm, even selling produce outside the church.
Johns also helped young Black girls in the region stand up to men who tried to sexually assault them and challenge their attackers. He also was a strong champion for racial integration and defiantly ignored the Jim Crow laws of the South at the risk of his safety and freedom. Rev. King and Ralph Abernathy also looked to Johns for guidance as they began their rise in the Civil Rights Movement.
Johns died at the age of 73 in June 1965.
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