Page 54 - Community Economic Development Movement

UMYO Monthly Digest

Passing The Torch

Rev. Peter Johnson, one of the last remaining Community and Civil Rights activists
who marched with Martin Luther King is passing the Torch.

by Barnard Gregory on October 13, 2022

Sitting with a glaze in his eye, studying his surroundings at Bon Ton Farm located in the
southern part of Dallas, Peter Johnson sat as Joseph Copeland shared how community
ownership of technology can not only reduce crime but also assist poverty stricken
neighborhoods nationwide. As I watched intensely from behind the camera, I witnessed
this great man of historical change begin to weep. It was as if the weight of all the violence,
deaths and pain he had to endure and carry for decades and for more than a generation
somehow without notice was instantly removed. As I did a camera close up, from his
countenance, the camera was able to capture eyes wide shut of moisture that turned into a
downouring of tears. It was as if this was happening in slow motion. If only I could know