Her Legacy Lives On

A tribute to civil rights reporter Kathryn Johnson ’47

By Karina Antenucci

A female AP reporter was unheard of in the late 1940s, and Johnson fought hard for the position. After graduating from Agnes Scott College with a degree in English, the Columbus, Georgia, native worked as a secretary at the AP before landing her first writing assignment 12 years later.

When Kathryn “Kajie” Johnson ’47 passed away on Oct. 23, 2019, the 93-year-old left behind a storied legacy uniquely her own. A trailblazing reporter for The Associated Press — and later in life, book author — her innate fearlessness, drive and compassion opened doors and led her to capture stories no one else could over her half-century as a writer.

As a journalist, Johnson not only captured history but also became a part of it. Serving as an inspiring model of tenacity and courage for future generations of alumnae, her influential legacy will live on.

“She was really driven to report on the injustices that she saw happening, like horrific lynchings. She just bothered the hell out of her bosses until they finally let her report on the stories the male reporters didn’t want,” says Johnson’s niece, Rebecca Winters, who maintained a close relationship with her aunt throughout her life.

One such story at the time was about a young, little-known preacher named Martin Luther King Jr., who had begun making waves in the local Atlanta community. Many years later, having gained the respect and friendship of the King family from more than a decade of her legendary civil rights coverage, Johnson was the only journalist Coretta Scott King allowed inside the family home the day her husband was assassinated in 1968. From there, Johnson reported on the funeral arrangements and Jacqueline Kennedy’s visit to the grieving widow prior to competitor newspapers’ coverage of the events.

“My aunt was full of integrity and honesty, and she wanted the true stories to come out,” says Winters. “She adored the Kings, and they adored her.”

Another groundbreaking event that Johnson was on the forefront of reporting was the integration of the University of Georgia in January 1961. Looking younger than her years, she dressed up as a college student and scored an exclusive interview with Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the first African-American woman to attend the university.

During the Vietnam War, Johnson spent significant time at a naval base in Virginia Beach with the families of men who had gone missing in the war. Washington did not let the wives know where their husbands were or whether they were alive or dead. Johnson’s reporting of this neglect was the catalyst for Washington relenting and furnishing the soldiers’ whereabouts. The close relationship she developed with Jane Denton, mother to seven children and wife of Captain Jeremiah Denton, during that period would be pivotal in winning interviews with the captain upon his return to the U.S. after being held as a prisoner of war for almost eight years. Within a grueling eight days, Johnson wrote eight exclusive articles about his experience.

Over the course of her career, there are many more instances of the impact of Johnson’s reporting, some of which are detailed in her book, “My Time With the Kings.” Additionally, sundry untold stories live in the pages, notes and photographs of her files and unpublished book, which Winters hopes to piece together in the future.

Outside writing, later in life, Johnson became very involved in her alma mater, including speaking at classes and attending luncheons.

“She was fond of Agnes Scott and grateful for her time there,” notes Winters.

While Johnson loved nature, animals and entertaining neighbors at her house near Emory University, her favorite hobby continued to be watching, reading and listening to the news after her retirement.

“She really was a newshound,” says Winters. “She ate and drank the news.”

Header Photo: Kathryn “Kajie” Johnson ’47 at her desk in the Atlanta bureau of The Associated Press. Photo: AP