MS SC594

Pays tribute to Civil Rights Pioneer Robert E. Johnson of Grenada, Mississippi, who was born June 17, 1948, and worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) as a Field Project Director.

Recognizes Johnson's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement beginning in 1966 after witnessing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Meredith March Against Fear in Grenada.

Honors Johnson's sacrifice, including his 1971 imprisonment for refusing military draft, for which he was released with full pardon by President Gerald Ford in 1972 after serving 18 months.

Acknowledges Johnson's later work as a Metro Atlanta Transit Authority bus operator, home construction business owner, devoted church member and deacon at Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church, and his 2002 meeting with Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

Extends the Legislature's condolences to Johnson's surviving family, including his wife Mary Pitts and two sons, Cleon and Marcus.