Today
I welcome Brian C. Johnson to the Author, Center Stage. His new release, Send
Judah First, went on sale to rave reviews. Tell us what it’s about.
A
young girl’s life is shattered when she is stolen from her African village in a
midnight raid. Ruthlessly torn from her family to be beaten, chained, degraded,
and enslaved in a heartless world she can barely comprehend.
The
slave ledger at Virginia’s Belle Grove Plantation only reveals that Judah was purchased
to be the cook, gave birth to 12 children, and died in April 1836. But, like the
other 276 faceless names entered in that ledger, Judah lived. Brian’s important
work of historical fiction goes beyond what is recorded to portray the depth, humanity,
and vulnerability of a beautiful soul all but erased by history.
As
Brian notes, Judah “did the ultimate— she survived. Not as a weakling, but resilient
and determined.”
Judah’s
story is fascinating. Why did you chose to tell it via fiction than a straight
biography? In what ways does your love of films and filmmaking influence your storytelling?
The
lack of documentation about Judah prohibits a biography; it almost necessitates
a fictionalized version. When I visited Belle Grove Plantation the first time, I
was struck by a statement noting there were only two extant documents that proved
Judah ever lived. I pledged that day to tell her story.
As
a movie buff and one who studies film in the academic sense, I see almost all of
my fictional work in movie form. My first novel, The Room Downstairs, came to me
in a dream. As I recall it, the dreamscape was like a movie on a screen. My daughter
is a cinematography major in college; my hope is that someday she adapts that novel
as her first full-length feature film.
Movie-making
is all about the story. It is the epitome of “show don’t tell” the common parlance
of the publishing industry. I admit, I am a new fiction writer and have much to
earn. Send Judah First is my sophomore novel. I am hoping it is a blockbuster!
In
my mind, I have already cast the film adaptation for Send Judah First. I could easily
see Regina King embodying Judah’s character.
How
do you think Judah’s story can influence young people today? How can she inspire
them as someone in a world and life not of her own choosing?
In
my work as an educator, students regularly express frustration with the failure
of their K-12 education regarding slavery and the Black American experience. They
say, “Why was I never taught this?”
During
my first visit to Belle Grove, I learned that “slave” was not an identity; it was
a title. Judah (and countless others) were ENSLAVED—a condition forced upon them.
I hope readers can learn to affirm the dignity and humanity of these purchased/kidnapped
souls and to welcome them back from obscurity.
The
enslaved were people too. We live in an era where tracing our genealogy and family
ancestry are popular. Genealogy is more than DNA percentages, names, and dates.
It’s the stories, the medical histories, the traditions that can come alive—these
are the things that make us who we are. When I started tracing my family ancestry,
my mother told me to “let sleeping dogs lie,” as she didn’t necessarily want me
to unearth sordid details. I explained, those details are our truth and we should
not hide from nor run from the facts. My hope for readers is that this hidden side
of American history has fruit for our benefit today. While she was a victim of the
trade, I wanted to paint her as a human being first.
In
what ways does your faith encourage your writing?
I
make a distinction between being a “Christian writer” and being a “writer who is
a Christian.” As a writer who is a Christian, I write about Christian themes as
I apply biblical ideas to secular topics. Faith is supposed to influence everything
we do, so following the Colossians 3 ideal, whatever I write, I hope to bring God
glory.
How
do you envision Judah being used in schools or church classes?
Send
Judah First falls in a long literary lineage—the slave narrative. Its predecessors
are Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Phyllis Wheatley and Alex Haley’s Roots.
These works have lasted for hundreds of years (Incidents) or decades (Roots) because
of the powerful story being told. I cannot compare myself to either writer, but
someday I hope to be able to be so capable. I’m happy to have found a small place.
My
hope for schools is that teachers see a value in showing a different side to our
American history. In some ways, I am challenging the dominant narrative that this
country was founded upon the principles of freedom and equality. Freedom for some,
yes, but not all. Equality for some, but not all. Some of those vestiges endure
in 2019—though we have come a long way. In August 2019 (when Judah launches) the
USA will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first Africans to arrive on these
shores as slaves. There are still lessons to be learned. I fear we have not yet
learned from our history, and if the adage is correct, we may be facing repeat.
I
have taken significant license with story creation. In my tale, I have painted Isaac
Hite, Judah’s owner, as a pastor. In real life, Hite was not a clergyman. I created
this calling for him to deliver a means to discuss Christian complicity in the slave
trade and its legacy. The African slave trade in America, in many ways, was supported
by the Christian church. Many slavers were merely “doing their Christian duty.”
Martin Luther King Jr. famously indicated how 11:00 AM on Sunday morning is the
most segregated hour of the week. Sadly, in 2019, that may still be true. There
exists today an important call for churches in America to openly discuss the vestiges
of racism left in our society and to foster environments to candidly talk about
race from the pulpits to the pews.
What’s
your next book?
In
the fall of this year, I get the privilege to see my Finding God in the Bathroom
come to life. This book has taken over ten years to see the light.
In
Finding God in the Bathroom, my purpose is to take the American public’s fascination
with grossology in popular culture (e.g., Dirty Jobs, Bizarre Foods, etc.), to examine
matters of faith. Just imagine “sin” being described as fecal matter and the Bible
as the “toilet paper” that wipes it all away! Yes, I go there!
So
where can we find you online?
Facebook
and Twitter: thereelbrian
Instagram:
dr.briancjohnson
Website:
www.briancjohnson.net
And
the best places to find Send Judah First?
https://www.amazon.com/Brian-C.-Johnson/e/B001JS4396/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
https://hiddenshelfpublishinghouse.com/store/
Brian
C. Johnson honors the struggles and accomplishments of the ordinary citizens who
launched the Civil Rights Movement by committing himself personally and professionally
to the advancement of multicultural and inclusive education.
He
has served as a faculty member in the department of academic enrichment at Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania and was the director of the Frederick Douglass Institute
for Academic Excellence. He is a founder of the Pennsylvania Association of Liaisons
and Officers of Multicultural Affairs, a consortium that promotes best practices
in higher education.
He
earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from California University
of Pennsylvania and a PhD at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Communications
Media and Instructional
Technology. His research examines the role of mainstream film in the development of social dominance orientation.
Johnson
serves on the ministry team at Revival Tabernacle in Watsontown, PA where he is
a church elder, youth minister, and leads the Kingdom Writers’ guild. He is a film
reviewer for Christian Spotlight on Entertainment. He and his wife, Darlene, have
four children—Kasey, Thomas, Aubyn, and Analisa.
