For its seventh year of programming, Hope College’s NEA Big Read Lakeshore will gather the Lakeshore community around a common book, using it as a springboard for community-wide discussion and learning. The November programming will kick-off with a presentation from Hope College professor Dr. Fred Johnson III on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, at 7 p.m.
Johnson will discuss the 19th century historical context of the 2020 book selection, “In the Heart of the Sea” by Nathaniel Philbrick. His talk, “Swimming Through the Gray,” will explore issues surrounding our nation’s historical stories and events. He’ll discuss those who’ve traditionally told history, those who are currently telling history, and those whose histories have been left out or silenced.
“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Johnson participate in our program in this way. We want to use our Big Read book as a catalyst for exploring these important and timely issues. Through our November events and book discussions, we hope to bring more awareness to these issues and want to encourage our readers to think about and respond to them from a racial equity lens,” Dr. Deborah Van Duinen, director of the NEA Big Read Lakeshore, said.
She added, “This will be Dr. Johnson’s third kickoff address for our program. Our Lakeshore readers have loved learning from him over the years.”
In addition to discussions around racial equity, the program will also address issues of environmentalism and conservation among others.
Due to COVID-19, this event and most of the Big Read’s programming will be hosted virtually. More information can be found on bigreadlakeshore.com.
Dr. Fred L. Johnson III, an associate professor of history, has been at Hope College since fall 2000. He graduated with his B.A. from Bowie State College and holds both his M.A. and Ph.D. from Kent State University. In 2015, he graduated with an M.Div. from Western Theological Seminary.
Prior to coming to Hope. Johnson served in the United States Marine Corps as a communications-electronics officer and as an infantry officer in the Marine Reserves. Subsequently, he worked as a production scheduler for Packard – Electric Division of General Motors, an operations specialist for Con-Tel Page Telecommunications, and as a corporate trainer for Aircraft Braking Systems in Akron, Ohio.
Johnson’s primary field of study is 19th century U.S. history, specializing in the Civil War. His other areas of expertise are 20th century U.S., U.S. military and Africa.
Currently, Johnson is completing a proposal for a course on the History of the Black Church and is revising his dissertation for publication.
Johnson is an award-winning public speaker and has been a member of the Toastmasters since 2004, advancing to the semifinal rounds of the World Series of Public Speaking in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, winning second place in 2017 and 2018.
He has received numerous honors and awards for faculty achievement at Hope College. Hope students have chosen him to be the keynote speaker at commencement and recognized him with the Hope Favorite Professor award twice. Notably, Johnson received the DAR Medal of Honor in 2019. The award is given to an adult man or woman who is a United States citizen by birth and has shown extraordinary qualities of leadership, trustworthiness, service and patriotism.
Johnson has been recognized for increasing the presence of minorities on Hope College’s campus and creating opportunities for the community to interact with people from different cultures. Along with Dr. Scott VanderStoep, he co-leads the Vietnam May Term, allowing students to experience the Vietnamese culture and learn how the Vietnam War impacted the country. He has hosted several community programs to give the public the opportunity to educate themselves on the many contributions African Americans make to society.
Johnson has authored three novels featuring African American men dealing with the issues of family, divorce and faith: “Bittersweet” (2002, Random House), “A Man Finds His Way” (2003, Random House), and “Other Men’s Wives” (2005, Random House). He also co-authored “Tupac Shakur- The Life and Times of an American Icon” (2010, Thunder's Mouth Press). Dr. Johnson has also submitted a book proposal to Louisiana State University Press for publication of “Robert E. Lee's Priority Target: The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.” His article titled “Why Black Culture Thrives Alongside Rampant Racism” was recently published in the Washington Post (July 2018).
Hope College's NEA Big Read Lakeshore program began in 2014 with the goal to create and foster a culture where reading matters. By bringing the Lakeshore community together around a common book, Big Read Lakeshore uses the shared experience of reading, discussing and exploring the themes of the book as a springboard to listen from and learn from each other. The 2020 event schedule and registration details will be found at bigreadlakeshore.com.
The Big Read Lakeshore is made possible in part by a grant from the NEA Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.