Morehouse Graduate and Chatham Resident Soars Against All Odds

Chatham resident Darius Johnson, a recent graduate of Morehouse College and future Columbia University School of Journalism graduate student hopes to work as a producer for CNN in their New York or Altanta office. Photo courtesy of Perfect Pitch Media Group
Chatham resident Darius Johnson, a recent graduate of Morehouse College and future Columbia University School of Journalism graduate student hopes to work as a producer for CNN in their New York or Altanta office. Photo courtesy of Perfect Pitch Media Group

Chatham Student Soars against All Odds

By Monique Smith

According to reports published by the Schott Foundation for Public Education in 2013, only 26.5% of black males graduated high school compared to 86.2% of their white male counterparts. Reports of young black males being gunned down either by police or who kill one another consistently appear in local and national headlines.

Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore recognized the need to change that imagery. He recently honored Darius J. Johnson, a young man from the Chatham neighborhood, who has shown himself to be a ray of light in these dark times.

Johnson is a recent graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia where he majored in English with a minor in Journalism. Johnson is now on his way to complete his graduate studies at the prestigious Columbia University in New York where President Barack Obama is one of their most notable alums.

Johnson was born into circumstances that were meant to dictate his demise and could have surely made him another statistic. When he was just 5-weeks-old, his mother was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.

“Growing up in Chicago was rough, but it wasn’t horrible,” said Johnson. Johnson was raised by his grandparents who kept a watchful eye on him throughout the years.

“My grandparents were my protectors, they were always watching me,” he said. “If I went outside to play, they were right there on the porch watching. I attended Burnside Elementary on 91st Place and we lived on 89th Street, but they took me and picked me up from school every day.”

Johnson also recalls his time as a part of the South Shore Drill Team and how that experience really helped him to excel along the way. “Being a part of the South Shore Drill Team was a great experience for me, it taught me discipline and made me more of an extrovert,” he said.

Johnson interned with Perfect Pitch Media Group in Atlanta. His boss, Tenisha Bell, also from Chicago lost her dad to gun violence too when she was 5-years old. Bell called Morehouse College looking for a star student to intern at her firm and they recommended Johnson.

“Darius is a superstar; his work ethic is impeccable. In a disheartening time in our society where black boys are being discounted, hunted by cops and by each other, Darius should be celebrated,” said Bell.

With Bell’s help, Johnson received an internship at CNN news network and was later offered a summer freelance role with the network. Johnson remarked that his grandparents are very proud of him, but didn’t want him to attend Columbia in the fall.

“They were against me going because of the money, I received acceptance letters and a scholarship from another school, but no money for Columbia; but it’s Columbia!,” he said. “That’s not an opportunity I can pass up.”

A person who’s beating the odds, Johnson continues to press on in spite of the hardships he’s facing. He plans on working to pay his way through school and has set up a GoFundMe page. For people who want to support him; the page can be found at https:// www. gofundme.com/2rew5fyk.

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