Award-winning author and activist George M. Johnson will present an endowed lecture at Bridgewater College on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Cole Hall on the College’s campus. Johnson’s lecture, “All Boys Aren’t Blue: Storytelling and Why It Matters,” is free and open to the public.
Johnson’s endowed lecture is aptly titled after their New York Timesbestseller All Boys Aren’t Blue, which explores Johnson’s adolescence growing up as a young Black queer boy in New Jersey through a series of powerful essays. It was optioned for television by Gabrielle Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions and Sony TV, and Johnson was nominated for an Emmy award for their dramatic reading of All Boys Aren’t Blue. They serve as the executive producer and co-writer for the upcoming series based on their real-life college experience at the HBCU Virginia Union University.
Johnson was named to the 2022 TIME100 Next, TIME’s annual list of rising stars across industries, as well as one of Out’s 100 Most Influential LGBTQ People. They’ve written for major outlets, including Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, The Root, Buzzfeed, Essence, Ebony, Them and TheGrio. They have also served as guest editor for BET.com’s Pride Month and were awarded the 2019 Salute to Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for their article “When Racism Anchors Your Health” published in VICE Magazine. In 2020, Johnson was named to The Root’s annual list of the top 100 Most Influential African Americans.
In addition to their work as a writer and author, Johnson is an HIV activist, serving as chair of the Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition for Black Gay Men for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a national advisor for ViiV Healthcare and a Gilead speaker.
For the endowed lecture, doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the event starting at 7:30 p.m. The format for the event is a traditional lecture with a Q&A and optional book signing to follow. A livestream of the event will be available at bridgewater.edu/johnson.
This endowed lecture is sponsored by the W. Harold Row Symposium on Reconciliation.
AT A GLANCE
Endowed Lecture: George M. Johnson
When: Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Cole Hall, Bridgewater College
Notes: This event is free and open to the public. The format for the event is a traditional lecture with Q&A and an optional book signing to follow. A livestream of the event is accessible at bridgewater.edu/johnson.
Media Contact:
Logan Bogert
Communications Coordinator
lbogert@bridgewater.edu
(540) 828-5486
