Fred Johnson

Dr. Fred L. Johnson III is Associate Professor of American History at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.  He received his Bachelor of Science degree in History and Teacher Education from Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland; his Masters and Doctorate degrees were earned from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.  His areas of specialization are U.S. Military History, U.S. 20th Century History, and Africa.

A former Communications-Electronics Officer in the United States Marine Corps (and Infantry Officer in the Marine Reserves), Dr. Johnson was born in Virginia, the son of an Air Force Tech Sgt., spent the early part of his childhood in the Philippines, and the latter part in Maryland.  In addition to serving for nine years as a Marine Corps officer, Dr. Johnson has also worked for General Motors (Warren, Ohio), Contel – Page Telecommunications (Fairfax, Virginia), and Aircraft Braking Systems (Akron, Ohio). 

In 2008, Dr. Johnson was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan’s 2nd District. In that election he received more votes than any prior Democratic candidate, helping to revitalize the Democratic Party along the lakeshore. Dr. Johnson is running for this seat again in 2010, to fill the vacancy created by Rep. Hoekstra's departure to run for Governor.  The campaign to bring change to West Michigan continues.  link

In May 2003, Dr. Johnson delivered the keynote address at Hope College’s commencement ceremony after being selected by the senior class in a campus wide vote. In 2005, the Hope College senior class selected Dr. Johnson as the recipient for the prestigious H.O.P.E. (Hope Outstanding Professor Educator) Award.

Dr. Johnson currently serves on several boards in the Holland community. They are: Holland Area Arts Council, Holland Historical Trust, Latin – Americans United for Progress, and Disabilities Action Network Lakeshore. Dr. Johnson has also served on the Holland City Human Relations Commission and he is a facilitator for the Institute of Healing Racism (sponsored by the Holland Chamber of Commerce).  Dr. Johnson has two sons, Fred IV and Timothy, and attends Messiah Missionary Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Dr. Johnson has many achievements in the world of professional public speaking. In 2006, Dr. Johnson was Division champion and second place winner in District 62 for the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. In 2007 and 2008 he won the District 62 championship and advanced to the semifinal rounds of the International Speech Competition.

Along with being a scholar, Dr. Johnson is a novelist. In reviewing his first novel, Bittersweet (One World/Random House, 2002), the Detroit Free Press noted that it was a “tender, touching, sometimes achingly painful, and sometimes humorous testament to the power of love between black brothers and the women they love.” Black Issues Book Review described the novel as a “sassy debut – a treatise on divorce, temptation, and faith . . . Bittersweet weaves a true life narrative that’s . . . highly entertaining.” Essence magazine observed that Bittersweet was “a book to curl up with on a winter evening.”
Dr. Johnson’s other novels include A Man Finds His Way (One World/Random House, 2003) and Other Men’s Wives (One World/Random House, 2005). He currently has Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon (Palgrave, 2010) in release and is completing work on America’s Blind Spot: U.S. Foreign Policy in East Africa, 1945 to Present.