generations. Her father, A.D. Johnson, worked at Butte College in the athletic department as an athletic trainer and de facto boss of the athletic department. Everyone looked up to him out at Butte and trusted his guidance and opinion. Her mother, long-time Chico Area Recreation District employee Dorothy Johnson, helped CARD plan and open the Chapman Neighborhood Center, where she became the facility manager. As you might recognize, the center is now called the Dorothy F. Johnson Center. Both of Anecia’s parents were well-known community members. A.D. came to California in 1957 and eventually moved to Chico, where his brother, Alois Scott Sr., lived. Here, he married Dorothy, and they were united for 49 years before he went home to meet his maker. Together, A.D. and Alois Scott Sr. became established and prominent members of the Chico Black community, often providing guidance and wisdom to their family members, friends, and members of the Second Baptist Church. Another prominent couple in Chico were local restaurant owners Pearl and Joe Persons Sr., whose sons became a Chico police officer and teacher, respectively. As for A.D., he raised his children with a good work ethic, had high expectations of them, and was ultimately proud of what they became.
As soon as you finish reading this, look up and read Anecia Johnson’s article Growing Up Black in Chico. It is compelling, evocative, at times chilling, but always riveting. It is a look at some ugly incidents in our hometown we’d like to believe could never happen. From a physical assault on a woman to the murder of a young man, they have one thing in common: the victims were Black. You’d think it couldn't happen here in Chico—with a state university and diverse student population, being in California, a state more accepting of people of color than most—but it did. 38
U P G R A D E D L I V I N G M AG A Z I N E M AY 2 0 2 4
When speaking of race relations, people often tag their observations of the past few years with “especially these days.” Anecia Johnson, creator and driving force behind Amma Culture and prominent member of Chico’s Black population, states, “It’s always been these days. Not as much has changed as people like to think.” No matter where you may be, people who are “highly melanated,” as Anecia calls them, are subject to ignorance and prejudice. Anecia Johnson comes from a Black community in Chico that goes back a few
Johnson is especially proud of the year she was a member of the Chico Junior High Freshman track team. That year, she and her teammates—including revered Chico athlete Tonya Ralston—won the 440 Relay, a record that still stands today. Over the years, Johnson earned a Bachelor's Degree in International
WRITTEN BY TIM MILHORN
Amma Culture Educates us all
Anecia recalls growing up amidst her cousins and friends in a small Black community—historically, two percent of Chico’s population is Black. She remembers asking herself as a young child, “Why was I born in this place and in this time?” It’s a question that finally resolved itself when she was an adult. However, as a child, she grew up attending local schools and being a regular church member, where she accepted the guidance taught to the congregation.