Pastor AJ Johnson (Source: AJ Johnson Social Media profile page)
“Media was critical…Very critical in what we were attempting to do because maybe you told a story that regular average people who don’t live the experience can understand you know, can understand so we really tried to tell very specific stories we really tried to make it palatable.”
– Pastor AJ Johnson on the role of the media in organizing in Hartford, CT
Background
Pastor AJ Johnson’s involvement in community organizing within the Hartford area links with both his family’s legacy and occupation as a local pastor at Ever Hope Refuge Church. This relationship created grounds for his significant role in tenant communities such as No More Slum Lords. AJ shares both his role and the functionality of the influencing organization and personal experiences he experienced through his involvement.
Involvement in Organizing and Activism
AJ shared that many within his church and neighborhood have experienced tenant related conflicts, being infestations, foundational concerns, or unaffordable rent increases. Utilizing his experience with organizing individuals within his faith, AJ became a significant founder of No More Slum Lords, a tenant union which combatted relevant issues and achieved a series of legal victories in battling deplorable living conditions his peers faced.
Issues
An expressive piece of the interview concerned AJ’s personal feelings towards issues the organization addressed. He discussed how landlord mistreatment or neglect of duties affected not only the financial conditions, but also the health and wellbeing of families living in such units. AJ described the conflict of not having reasonable living space as significant to nearly every aspect of human life.
Other Organizations and Movements
Inclusion to his personal involvement in No More Slum Lords, AJ described how other tenant unions adopt similar goals and objectives in connection to organizing, holding emphasis on media and political attention. According to AJ, rights groups and individuals that reside in surrounding areas could offer social, monetary, and legal support in achieving the aims of providing residents equitable housing and holding violators accountable.