Kathryn Magnolia Johnson (December 15, 1878 – November 13, 1954)[1][2] was an American political activist who began working as a teacher before becoming one of the first members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

[2] After criticizing the organization's all white leadership roles, Johnson joined the Young Men's Christian Association.

[4] The rest of Johnson's life was dedicated to spreading African American activism across the states through book selling to help in the campaign for civil rights.

[5] Kathryn Magnolia Johnson was born on December 15, 1878, in Darke County, Ohio, at the Greenville Settlement, also known as Longtown.

Johnson taught at the State Normal School for Negroes in North Carolina and then was also the Dean of Women at Shorter College in Little Rock, Ark.

[4] While teaching in a high school, Johnson joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as one of the first members when it was first formed in 1909.

[9] During her old age, Kathryn Magnolia Johnson lived in Ezella Mathias Carter Home for Colored Working Women in Chicago.