Johnnie M. Parris Life Story
Born Johnnie Mae Willis on May 7, 1933, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she was the oldest of two children born to the late James and Susie Willis. She graduated from Howard High School and matriculated at Tennessee A and I College, which became Tennessee State University in 1968.
In 1949, she met James Parris, and they married after their high school graduation. Together they had eight children––four boys and four girls. Her husband was a U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant and the family lived all over the world, including McCoy Air Force Base and Homestead Air Force Base in Florida, Travis Air Force Base in California, and Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France. She eventually returned to Florida in 1964 and settled in Miami.
Parris began her civil rights activism in 1957 which spanned over four decades. She was renowned for her indomitable spirit and unwavering commitment to seeking justice and educational equality, earning a reputation as "a force to be reckoned with." She was known for her unrelenting pursuit of justice, educational equality and for being the voice of the voiceless.
She integrated Pine Villa Elementary School, the first school integrated in Dade County, Florida in 1957 when she enrolled her two oldest sons. She later challenged the Homestead Air Force Base commander by opposing the segregated policies that prevented her children from attending the elementary school on base and the nearby public bowling alley. Her courage pioneered the construction of a bowling alley on base, which allowed her children access. She became the first African American woman to join the N.C.O. Wives Club at Homestead Air Force Base and be elected to office. In 1965,
Parris was the respected chief spokesperson for the Richmond Heights Citizens Committee. Upon learning the Miami Dade County Public School Board’s plan to build a de facto segregated elementary school in Richmond Heights, she presented a petition with 1,400 signatures from the residents of Richmond Heights requesting that an integrated school, Colonial Drive Elementary, be built instead of Richmond Heights Elementary, another de facto segregated school.
She represented the Richmond Heights families in negotiations with the Dade County School Board which resulted in the Board abandoning plans to build a school in Richmond Heights in favor of the integrated Colonial Drive Elementary school, which was built in 1966. In recognition of her courageous efforts, Colonial Drive Elementary school was renamed the Johnnie M. Parris Colonial Drive Elementary School.
As a Florida Council on Human Relations Board of Directors member, she actively promoted community unity among diverse racial groups by organizing and leading community meetings and in 1976 she ran for the Florida House of Representatives.
Throughout the 1960s to the 1990s, Johnnie Parris worked closely with Florida governors Haydon Burns, Bob Graham, and Lawton Chiles. Her invitation to the Presidential Inauguration of Jimmy Carter in 1977 remains one of her highest honors.
In addition to her community activism, she was active in many civic organizations. Her civic engagement included Daughter of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks of the World (IBPOEW), serving as Daughter Ruler, Family Services, Red Cross, The Gray Ladies, Purple Cross and President of the Cupidettes, Inc Richmond Heights Chapter.
In 2004, Parris received Distinguished Honors recognition from the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida in recognition of her contribution to achieving educational equality and full citizenship for all people, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Landmark Decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
In 2007, she received Florida State Senator Larcenia J. Bullard designation of a Florida Senator's Proclamation for being a Champion Civil Rights Activist.
Parris was a trailblazer, warrior, pioneer, and advocate for the underprivileged, but she was proudest of her title as a mother. Her family was her greatest joy, and she created a magical award-winning winter wonderland every Christmas. She loved camping in the Florida Keys and traveling throughout the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe, especially enjoying France and Hawaii.
The Johnnie M. Parris Foundation was established to honor her legacy, which awards the annual Johnnie M. Parris Public Service Scholarship.
Parris’ civil rights work has been documented in the archives of the University of Florida, University of Miami, Atlanta University, and in Tananarive Due’s book Freedom in the Family- A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights.
Her legacy lives on, inspiring future generations to strive toward equal opportunities for all because when children learn and play together, they grow, build, and thrive together.