by Dianne Anderson

Strong, big-hearted, and always up for the challenge of persuading Orange County shot-callers about the needs of the poor.

Jacqueline Johnson was able to speak as easily to princes as paupers, and she had a feisty side.

Those closest to her say her commitment to the community stretched from board meetings to knocking on doors at the Capitol to advocating before congressional representatives, all the way down to the trenches to help the most vulnerable among us.

She had her own brand of special energy around social injustice, and while she never enjoyed soaking up the limelight, she always wanted to serve others. Ms. Johnson passed away earlier this month.

Over the years, she served the Santa Ana Human Relations Commission, Community Action Partnership’s Goodwill. She also served as president of the Community Learning Center, and chaired the Orange County NAACP Political Action Committee, to name a few.

Connie Jones remembers when Johnson came into the seat on the Community Action Partnership, Orange County Board of Directors. Over time, Johnson led as vice chair, eventually taking the lead as board chair, where she gained the ear of many decision-makers at the county level for over 22 years.

Jones, who herself has served nearly four decades on the Community Action Partnership board, recalls meeting Johnson through a program led by late activist Harriet Tyler, who was then leading a youth group through the local NAACP. Years later, Johnson took over that program.

Her personality was high energy, and she loved to spotlight local movers and shakers in the Black community – whoever was about helping those in need.

“Jacque was bubbly, she kept people informed, and she stayed informed,” said Jones, anti-poverty activist and community leader.  “She was energetic and committed to knowing what was going on, and to make sure the people who were involved in things were highlighted for what they did in the community.”

Johnson also worked as social editor of the Tri-County Bulletin, and paid close attention to all the local special events, outreach and resources, birthdays and anniversaries. But, mostly she loved to spotlight organizations making headway for the Black community.

Her natural movement through life was focused on community action.

Jones remembers both Johnson and the late James Colquitt, also a prominent local activist, traveling to conventions year after year, but they didn’t just go to the meetings. Together, they organized field trips for CAP members to understand policies and what was going on statewide as well as nationally.

“Her and Jim, I remember them bagging potatoes, bagging onions, just being active. They were never too good not to be involved in getting their hands dirty for the cause,” Jones said. “She was called to do this but she had a passion to make sure it was done, and she had compassion when she did it.”

Kathy Berlin, co-founder of Alexandria House, came to know Johnson through her passion and participation in the Poor People’s Campaign. Later, Johnson served as statewide spokesperson for Alexandria House, and was strong on registering voters in 2022.

Berlin said that she was intent on getting people out to vote, especially in low-income communities in Los Angeles.

“These are people that are not the typical folks that voter campaigns focused on, the unregistered and less informed, but she was always out there with us,” she said. “She was pretty amazing.”

In support of the Poor People’s Campaign, both she and Johnson went to Washington D.C. to address the congressional resolution, the Third Reconstruction Act, to lift people out of poverty.

“She went from room to room with us in the Capitol congressional office building,” Berlin said. “California has 53 of our congressional delegates, and she was part of that team. She went door to door and spoke to representatives because that is who she was.”

One of their campaign slogans, “Poverty equals death,” came out after a UC Riverside report found poverty to be the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.

For Johnson, who was open about some of her own life experiences and struggles, her commitment to help others was personal, and a lifelong endeavor.

Berlin said Johnson was sensitive and sharp-witted, always managing to get her point across with a lot of personality. Friends or acquaintances, whether they were close to her or not, seemed to walk away having known her. Johnson was endearing and left a deep impression.

“Everybody felt like she was their friend, that’s the way I experienced her,” she said.

Community advocate Yvonne Peeples said Johnson was always a part of her mom’s circle, the late community historian and advocate Harriet Tyler.

Johnson was a mainstay in the community, but also basically like a family member.

“I don’t remember not knowing her,” said Peeples, a long-time local NAACP member. “She and my mom had a special relationship, that’s how I know her, but she and Jacque had a close relationship.”

Peeples said Johnson was heavily involved in the NAACP, among many other community outreach programs, projects and services.

“She was involved with everything, we worked together at church with the food bank,” she said. “She was vivacious, everything positive you can think of, that was her. Just a go-getter, she reminded me a lot of my mom, and she spoke her mind, that’s for sure.”

Alan Woo also served with Johnson on the CAP Board, and described her as a strong advocate, always pressing to learn more about community needs. She worked with people who had disabilities, and strived to help them become more independent.

As chair of the board, which is made up of appointed people from the county, community groups, and business groups, he said Johnson skillfully navigated and created partnerships across various sectors.

She had a flair for being able to convey what the Black community needed, especially in Orange County where the community numbers were small, and their voice wasn’t always heard. She pushed to sustain a lot of essential organizations.

Johnson could bring everyone at the table back into focus on what was most important.

He said at the heart of all the resources they had at Community Action Partnership, it needed to be driven by the passion to serve the poor with dignity.

“That they were not a charity,” he said. “She was able to articulate the needs of the poor, who they were, and to put a face on poverty.”

He said she had power, and she pushed to find solutions, and bring new programs and innovations.

“I think that is what we miss most about Jacque, and her leadership during the time that I was there,” he said. “She was in the room with the powerful, able to talk to them and put a human face on poverty, for them to understand we don’t need charity, we just need a hand up.”