“Dr. Johnson was a giant of a man whose life shaped countless individuals. His absence will be felt in ways that are hard to put into words. He taught us history and in doing so became an enduring part of ours,” said Hope College President Matt Scogin. “He loved being in a classroom and his impact on generations of Hope students runs deep. Above all, his life was defined by an unwavering commitment to follow Jesus Christ and reflect God’s love for others.”
Over his 20 years teaching at Hope — in classrooms and abroad, traveling with students to learn about other cultures — he was also an active faculty member for the Hope-Western Prison Education Program. He was inspired by these students, teaching many classes at the Muskegon Correctional Facility for incarcerated men. During an oral history video he participated in, he reflected on that work. “These men come to class ready to work, their minds are open and they want to pull anything from you that they can. As a professor and teacher, that’s called, ‘having a really good day.’”
Below is a video of the presentation he made to the Speaker Series on Thursday, April 19, 2018.
Watch the Video – While Black People Slept, Dr. Fred L. Johnson III
Visit the Hope College website page about Dr. Fred Johnson III – https://hope.edu/news/2026/academics/remembering-professor-fred-johnson.html
