Charles S. Johnson Think Tank
Charles S. Johnson
Charles S. Johnson Think Tank is part of the Race Relations Institute of Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.
“Charles S. Johnson was a self-contained person who tried to bridge the gap of segregation not by accepting the subjugation of blacks, or by bullying whites. He used reasoning to achieve resolution, and his model is worthy of emulation today.”
—Preston King, visiting professor, Fisk University
Charles S. Johnson, a distinguished sociologist, activist, and authority on race relations, came to Fisk University in 1928 to chair the Department of Social Sciences, which the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial funded.
Johnson, also the first African American president of Fisk (1946–56), used his research and data analysis skills to examine and improve race relations in the United States. Johnson’s efforts enabled Fisk to become a national center for research in race relations.
Fisk created the Race Relations Institute in 1942 and trustees chose Johnson to direct it. He gathered distinguished scholars at Fisk, including E. Franklin Frazier, Horace Mann Bond, Bertram Doyle, Paul K. Edwards, and Robert E. Park, among others, to discuss issues, shape policies, and advocate for community building.
The institute, recognizing an ongoing need to focus on race and to seek solutions to the diverse issues that arise, hosts an annual think tank in Johnson’s honor to commemorate the scholar, honor the legacy, and continue the work.
The Charles S. Johnson Think Tank is an opportunity for scholars, researchers, teachers, students, and others concerned about race to engage in a dialogue on significant issues that influence race relations.
Case Western Reserve University is being considered as a satellite campus for the Race Relations Institute as a way to further enhance the Case-Fisk Partnership.
Case Western Reserve University participated in the think tank in 2006 and in 2007, the result of its ongoing partnership with Fisk University. The Case-Fisk Partnership sponsored the trip to the think tank at Fisk University.