Born and raised in East Gainesville, Florida, Dr. Kenneth L. Johnson, II is an Assistant Professor of African American Literature at College of Charleston (Charleston, SC). A proud HBCU graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Dr. Johnson earned a Ph.D. in African American Literature and Culture from Florida State University in 2021. His research interests include 20th and 21st century African American narrative, Black men’s public letters, contemporary Black Southern fiction, Black boyhood literacy, Black masculinity studies, Black queer theory, and hip-hop studies.
Dr. Johnson’s teaches a variety of courses centered on contemporary African American literature and culture. Currently, he is teaching “(Re)constructions: Contemporary Black Men’s Memoirs.” This course contends with Black men’s memoirs as a narrative genre wherein Black men confront monolithic, static, and reductive images and “constructions.” These constructions are generalized and stereotypical ideas about Black men, what they can do, and who they can be(come). These ideas permeate society, affecting how education, law, social spaces, the workforce, and every facet of American society view Black men. By penning their own stories, these authors deconstruct these violent images and reimagine themselves, the spaces they inhabit, and how they show up (and choose to show up) therein. Additionally, Dr. Johnson is creating a course entitled “Fire in Little Africa.” This course will focus on the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and utilize the Motown hip-hop album of the same name. Students will interrogate Tulsa’s impact on local, state, and national race relations, along with issues of reparations for Black Americans, protest hip-hop, and censorship of Black art.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Johnson is an avid Food Network connoisseur and an amateur chef. He also enjoys content creation and freelances graphic design and photography. As if his teaching of literature isn’t enough, he is also the founder of “It’s LIT!: A Millennial Book Club,” a virtual book club with over 350 members. Dr. Johnson is a lover of Florida Gators football, UNC Tar Heels Basketball, the Memphis Grizzlies, sneakers, and “curating vibes” with his friends.