Jereann King Johnson Documentary Project

The Resource Center for Women & Ministry in the South and the Black Feminist Film School are producing a feature-length documentary film that will tell the story of the life and work of African American quilter, educator, and community organizer Jereann King Johnson. A long-time North Carolina resident, Johnson pieces together people, organizations, and resources toward racial and social justice. For Jereann, quilting is a dynamic metaphor for living, for community development, and for creative expression; quilting involves putting together often-discarded pieces to make something new.

Using archival footage and interviews with Jereann and her colleagues and friends, we will create and distribute a one-hour documentary film.

The film pulls on narrative threads of public media, the ongoing theft of land from Black farmers, the environmental justice movement, participatory adult education, and — of course — quilting. In the film, we will document the many ways that Jereann has been a pivotal figure in Warrenton and beyond. We will show the ways she connects people, encourages artistic expression, preserves and contributes to a fiber arts tradition, and works for justice.

At a time when climate change and systemic racism are being denied and our educational and cultural institutions are under attack, it is vital to document and elevate the stories of the Black women who have led grassroots movements for decades. Jereann King Johnson is one such woman.