Associate attorney and social justice advocate Martese Johnson will speak as part
of Ferris State University’s 37th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Monday,
Jan. 16, at 5 p.m.
Martese Johnson’s path to personal achievement changed abruptly in 2015. He was then a University of Virginia student beaten by Alcoholic Beverage Control officers near a bar in Charlottesville. Now an associate attorney for a New York City firm, Johnson will tell of his experiences as a social justice advocate in the keynote address of Ferris State University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Monday, Jan. 16.
“I was knowledgeable about aspects of the legal and judicial system and had been active as a community organizer,” Johnson said. “The experience of being handcuffed, having my legs shackled and suffering scars and other wounds was traumatic and pivotal. I would probably not have become an attorney otherwise.”
A viral social media campaign with the hashtag #JusticeForMartese drew national attention in the days after this incident. The state of Virginia settled with Johnson in 2018 as Martese, a UVA honor student, moved on to the University of Michigan Law School.
“The attorneys who took my case pro bono were very formative in my professional and personal journey,” Johnson said. “I strongly believe that people without the means to achieve justice are deserving of all of my time and energy.”
Johnson will speak at 5 p.m., with the university and larger Ferris community welcome to attend his address in the ballrooms of the David L. Eisler Center.
“One thing I hope to emphasize is I was only approaching my 21st birthday at the time of this incident,” Johnson said. “Though I was succeeding as a student, having the ability to handle that situation and make a credible statement about a significant issue was not something I had ever expected to do.”
Johnson added, “The ‘March For Our Lives’ campaign to end gun violence was started by Florida high school students whose classmates died in an attack on their school. My learning and continued awareness of social justice advocacy have shown me that there’s no minimum age for anyone to use their voices and power to change what they see as unfair.”
Other events related to Ferris’ 37th annual MLK Celebration include a faculty/staff in-service at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in the Eisler Center ballrooms, a Freedom March starting at 4 p.m. that day, headed onto campus from the Rankin Atrium. The student tribute is Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m.