Wyanetta Johnson was a pioneering Black leader in Oak Park who brought change to Oak Park and River Forest High School through passionate, loving advocacy and a will of iron working to bend an institution which for decades did not know what to make of her.
Mrs. Johnson, or “Grandma” as many called her, died on New Year’s Day. She was 86.
Johnson’s advocacy, centering on opportunity and equity for all students and families in need of support, stemmed from the sense of fairness her parents instilled in her, Dorise Monroe, a daughter, said.
“She wanted to make sure people were treated fairly whether poor Black, poor white, poor Hispanic, poor Asian. It didn’t matter to her,” Monroe said. “She just had a heart for people. No matter where you went, somebody knew her.”
Born April 18, 1939, in Wyatt, Missouri, to Lem and Estel Gilliam (Johnson), Wyanetta Johnson, grew up in Charleston, Missouri with her sister Lottie Horton and Bernice Johnson, a first cousin, who preceded her in death.
Mrs. Johnson and her husband Forrest had seven children. They moved to Oak Park from North Sheridan Rd. in the early 1980s to be closer to their children and grandchildren. That move set the course for her advocacy work here. Her own children and grandchildren were part of Oak Park’s school systems.
Along with other Black and other community members, Johnson’s advocacy for children in Oak Park schools started in the late 1980s as a member and then leader of the African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership in Education (APPLE) organization, where she served throughout the years as both president and vice president.
APPLE in the 1980’s had a presence in all the public schools in Oak Park. Johnson and other parents mentored Black students during the school day and after school, leading study skills and homework assistance programs. Black mothers, fathers, and community members were engaged in helping Oak Park’s Black children obtain a fair and balanced education.
Organizing career days, “Saturday School,” seminars for parents, and overnight retreats for children were part of the ambitious program.
Ruth Gorens worked with Johnson on APPLE’s mentoring program.
“One of my fondest memories was the time it was about minus 24 degrees outside and OPRF wouldn’t close so me and ‘grandma’ (Johnson) got in our cars and picked up children and brought them to school,” Gorens said.
Burcy Hines met Johnson in the 1990s after APPLE was no longer allowed to have a physical space at the high school.
“She asked me if I would help her with APPLE because someone was trying to dissolve it,” said Hines. She picked it up and moved it forward. “The changes that were made to special education were the result of us. She made a difference and was very powerful. She won many fights.”
Johnson emerged as a key advocate for District 200’s adoption of a racial equity policy and played a central role in expanding access to advanced coursework through the Freshman All Honors Curriculum.
Greg Johnson, OPRF’s current superintendent, said Johnson was a tremendous advocate for racial equity and justice for students, parents, and professionals not only at the high school, but throughout the community.
“A lot of the practices that we have around community engagement in particular, even our director of equity position we now have in the district, really has a lot of its roots back in her advocacy work in the district,” said Greg Johnson. “She was a powerful force for the students in our school. I think it’s absolutely appropriate that we recognize and honor her efforts.”
Known for her energy and generosity, Johnson often used her own money to feed children and buy clothing for students in need.
“I knew her as a true advocate,” said Mary Bird who made Johnson’s acquaintance through the organization. “If she heard of any child, especially at OPRF, being excluded or discriminated against or treated unfairly or poorly, she would jump to their defense and the family’s defense.”
Though small in stature, Johnson was seen as a “powerhouse” who did not bend to so-called affluence or fancy titles.
“When she walked into any room or anywhere, she had an aura about herself,” Johnson’s granddaughter Alishia Henderson said. “She would always speak about herself as not being educated or not having a degree but amazingly she would go in there and out-talk some of the most educated people.”
Christina Waters, now Oak Park’s village clerk, participated in the “Saturday school” that APPLE ran at Longfellow Elementary School where her mother was a secretary during the time the organization operated in all the schools.
“I strongly believe that attending the Saturday School was extremely, positively impactful for me,” Waters said of her experience. “I have a Mexican mother and a Black father and so we were always welcomed in the APPLE program … myself and my younger sister.”
Introduction to various careers through community and parent volunteers was part of the Saturday School’s program.
“She was always happy to hear my voice and so happy to know that I had a role here at Village Hall,” Waters said. “When I became village clerk, she was truly one of the first phone calls I had just to congratulate me and let me know how proud she was of me. Hearing of her passing was difficult for me,” Waters said.
Waters stressed how incredibly impactful Johnson was and how her caring showed in all of her work and actions.
“I remember seeing her over the last eight years or so, and she always had the best smile and was the best dressed and she continued to care and love us former students,” said Waters.
Though limited in her activism in the past few years, Johnson continued to inspire and counsel racial equity workers.
Touted for her advocacy for Black students and parents, for her mother, Monroe said, race didn’t matter.
The outpouring of phone calls and condolences from teachers and others provided a level of comfort for Monroe and her family.
“It’s my mom so I’ve always known how great she was,” Monroe said. “To hear the accolades that she has gotten and how many people want to share what she’s done for them and their families touched my heart. I’m going to miss my mom so much.”
Phil Prale met Johnson while teaching in the History Division at the high school sometime around 1999, while becoming involved in the teacher association.
“She never wavered from her love of the community and the families and students we served,” Prale said. “I believe that is part of her greatness.”
With more than 40 years of advocacy, Johnson made her transition on New Year’s Day.
Johnson’s Celebration of Life Ceremony will take place Jan. 24 at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Organization, 178 Forest Ave., from 3 to 8 p.m.
Johnson’s family is working with APPLE to establish a college scholarship in her name to benefit an OPRF student. Donations will fund the scholarship. Go to https://linktr.ee/WyanettaJohnson to make a donation.
A proclamation honoring her will be read at the Jan. 27 meeting of Oak Park’s village board.
She and her husband Forrest Johnson had seven children, seventeen grandchildren, thirty-five great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, one grandchild, and one great-grandchild that preceded her in death.
Their children are Gwendolyn, David Hawthorne, Vivian Henderson, Dorise (Mathis Monroe), James (Lauretha Henderson), Carolyn Henderson, Annette (Tony Garnish) and Cynthia Johnson.
Daughter Dorise Monroe said her mom was a devoted supporter of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, all children. “She would state that she had no favorites, even though we all genuinely believed we were her favorite,” said Monroe.
