I met Rogers Jonson on a handful of occasions. In my limited experience, he was always a great guy who listened intently. He was thoughtful and always polite. So it is sad to hear the news that he has passed away at the age of 62.
Related: The Republican Party and Civil Rights in America – The Untold Story by Rogers Johnson
Rogers Johnson, the president of the Seacoast NAACP and chair of the governor’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion, has died at the age of 62.
Johnson, a key figure advocating for equality in the Granite State, died Thursday.
Johnson also was a member of the governor’s COVID-19 Equity Response Team and the Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community and Transparency.
He was a strong believer in the Republican party as the party of Civil rights. It was only in recent years when his pursuits along these lines began to include the Post-Modernist ideas of equity, Diversity, and Inclusion that we began to part ways ideologically.
I secretly hope he was trying to temper that movement’s darker inclinations. That he saw the tribalism and identity politics for what it was and worked to prevent the division and segregation Diversity and Inclusion champions fostered by design.
We’ve reported extensively on Diversity and Inclusion and occasionally on Rogers Johnson’s involvement with it here in New Hampshire. Not always flattering, but the man has always appeared to be working toward the original goal of Civil Rights in Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision. The path set out by the Republican Party. And for that, we should all be thankful.
His influence in that regard will be missed.
We send our thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.
