“To each of the million questions is a cry to comprehend the Deaf World. Therefore, ask freely as your wisdom presents human flourishing.” - Christopher D. Johnson
Who is Christopher D. Johnson?
Mr. Johnson found a sense of belonging through various employment experiences at multiple deaf institutions in the South as a deaf male. CJ's Southern narrative consisted of tireless advocacy for removing the school-to-prison pipeline from schools and preserving Black American Sign Language, culture, and history. He has successfully developed future Black--Deaf and hearing alike--trailblazers as he formally served as Assistant Dean of Inclusive Excellence at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies (CCPS).
In 2018, CJ was granted a Graduate Assistantship by Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. He pursued his Master’s degree in the Sign Language Education Program while teaching ASL through a Graduate Fellowship at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) in Virginia. Christopher joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated through the Omicron Eta Lambda chapter in D.C. while excelling as a graduate student and working as a graduate assistant at Gallaudet University and adjunct instructor at NVCC. Mr. Johnson is currently pursuing his terminal degree in Leadership in Higher Education at the National University in San Diego, California and teacher certification through Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA, with inspiration from the pillars of Black Deaf trailblazers that are not limited to Mr. Lindsay Dunn, Drs. Carolyn McCaskill, Glenn B. Anderson, Ernest Hairston, Amie Fornah Sankoh, Opeoluwa Sotonwa, LL.B, BL., LL.M., LP.D., and many others.
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Christopher's exceptional leadership qualities are reflected in his servant, empirical, and organizational leadership. CJ is a purpose-driven and visionary leader with ambitious plans 1) served as a chairperson of The Drake Group's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Ad Hoc Committee, a position he has held in 2024, 2) immediate past president of the District of Columbia Black Deaf Advocates, serving a term from October 2021 to December 2023, and 3) he was reappointed twice to his role as the inaugural chairperson for the Dr. Glenn B. Anderson Scholarship Program. More importantly, as a former first-ever Black Deaf assistant dean in the University of Cincinnati's 200-year history, developing intrinsic qualities in current cooperative education (Co-op) and non-Co-op students as UC NAACP (recently reactivated chapter in April 2024) co-advisor, the position has been requested by a student leader since 2024.
In 2025, due to Governor DeWine's approval to ban any Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-related activities, Christopher moved back to the East Coast to activate his program-building and distributed leadership to build a Kindergarten to eight-grade (K-8) ASL program from the ground up through the support of the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) leadership team to explore additional resources to improve ASL teacher effectiveness and remarkable standards to create Signing Huskies ASL club at one of the destiganted schools across the district. This is what Mr. Johnson called a "Third Space" where any students, regardless of their ethnicity and background, can thrive.
Early Years and Education
Greetings. My name is Christopher D. Johnson, generally known as “CJ” in the Deaf world. Carrollton, Georgia, was the place of birth where I grew up in Georgia with one younger brother and loving and supportive parents. Upon graduation from high school, my seven-year journey encompassed no mentor, realizing that my identity as a Black deaf male hasn’t developed. I decided to suspend academic studies to fulfill my adaptive leadership through several deaf residential employments in Georgia and Tennessee. My pluralistic leadership entails a successful implementation of community-based operations of the Cup of Wisdom (C.O.W.) club, from 2016 to 2018, at the Tennessee School for the Deaf (TSD), where I had the ability to inspire students with confidence in themselves to live with zest and purpose. The calling to become an educator appeared after several colleagues--who recognized my ability to bridge academic and community divides, earning students' trust to develop intrinsic qualities owning their own weight and build their own success--encouraged me to reconsider my options for returning to school. The intuition was strong to resist; I then applied at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., to pursue my Master's in Sign Language Education. I am inspired to experience the growth that cultivates around several organizational leadership that serves the Deaf community. By finding the mundane's excitement, I gained a sense of Black deaf identity.
Building Academic Stamina and Professional Accolades
Mr. Johnson's academic stamina is evident in his continued pursuit of advanced scholarship and his commitment to strengthening ASL and Deaf education & leadership pathways. Now serving as a K-8 ASL teacher at John Hancock Demonstration School, he is actively building a school-district-recognized ASL program and advising more than thirty (ratio: 9 members and 1 staff) members in the Signing Huskies ASL Club--and inclusive "Third Space" where learners from all backgrounds thrive. While advancing toward his terminal degree in Educational Leadership at National University and pursuing his teacher and other certifications, he continues to expand his professional impact through writing, public speaking, and community-engaged leadership. He enjoys giving back to the community through scholarship, storytelling, and advocacy, many which can be explored by clicking the link below.
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Closing remark
How can we together address the inequities that have left our Black deaf students underserved and undereducated for decades?
My profound love for academic excellence and community leadership led me to expand the curricula -- such as multicultural disability- and ASL- or deaf-related corpus -- and strengthen a rapport between Black hearing and deaf communities. I am H.I.M! This represents my core values which stand for high standards, intentionality, and mental stimulation. Please check out the three pillars by clicking the button below to learn more about my passion, persistence, and personal attainment. I am passionate about removing barriers that are a threat to humanity while patiently investing in various types of leadership approaches, and, more importantly, persistently instilling confidence in youths through my social empirical approach.
