Nellie Stone Johnson (far right) with NAACP leaders, including Anthony Cassius (far left); publisher Milton G. Williams (third from left); and Howard Bennett, later appointed Minnesota’s first black judge (second from right), 1954. Minnesota Historical Society
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Nellie Stone Johnson was an African American union leader and civil rights activist. She was involved in labor politics as a young girl, from growing up on the farm and having connections with the Nonpartisan League. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s her interest and passion in labor politics increased as she became a resident of Minneapolis, organized hotel workers, bargained with well- to- do companies, educated union members, and urged bigger union groups to organize their workers. As Minneapolis supported the Farmer- Labor party in the 1940s; Johnson helped merge the Democratic and Farmer- Labor party as a result of their shared goals; equal employment, health insurance, and fair wages. She remained active in labor and helped spearhead DFL politics in Minneapolis dealing with housing, jobs, and education for more than 40 years.
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