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Mwalimu Johnson, Prison Reform Advocate and Counselor of Fellow Inmates, Dies at 78

Published

11 years ago

November 20, 2015

By Katy Reckdahl, the Advocate

Mwalimu Johnson, a prison-reform advocate and a sought-after counselor to thousands of fellow inmates, died last Tuesday of kidney failure at his home in New Orleans. He was 78.

“Mwalimu was full of wisdom and knowledge that he gave out like he was handing out candy for Halloween. He will forever be with me,” said Norris Henderson, who got to know Johnson during 27 years Henderson spent at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola on a wrongful murder conviction before he was released in 2003.

During the two decades Johnson served at Angola starting in 1977, he acted almost as the prison’s sage.

“If you needed advice or counsel, you’d go to Ward 2 of the prison hospital and get all the wisdom you needed. All the guys did that,” said Calvin Duncan, who spent 28 years in Angola for a murder he didn’t commit before he was released in 2011.

Johnson stayed in the prison’s hospital because he was paralyzed and in a wheelchair, though few remember the chair slowing him down in any meaningful way. So, to see Johnson, prisoners first had to get a pass to the hospital, Henderson and Duncan said. But Johnson’s reputation for imparting good advice was such that neither one can remember a guard who refused to issue such a pass to a prisoner who requested it.

“That’s the weirdest thing about it,” Duncan said. “The institution knew it.”

Born Leonard Johnson in New Orleans, he was nicknamed “Micey” as a child and spent his early youth using and selling illegal drugs. Then, in 1958, he pleaded guilty to bank robbery and was sentenced to 15 years in Angola, which was then known as perhaps the bloodiest prison in the nation.

“That was part of the reason why he gave of himself as much as he did,” said his daughter, Nicole Hessier, now an investigator for the Orleans Parish Public Defenders Office. “He felt like he owed this debt for the wrong things he did as a younger man who had lacked knowledge or understanding.”

Influenced by their father’s experience, two of Hessier’s sisters also work in criminal justice: Lynthea Johnson Edwards works for the probation office, and Malaika Johnson is a defense attorney. Johnson’s fourth daughter, Mtamu Johnson, is a nurse.

Stories of Johnson’s efforts to establish peace in the prison are legendary — how he hated so much to see the inmates fight one another that he would walk into the middle of a knife fight to stop it. He spoke reasonably to frustrated, angry men who were known as rapists, saving many young men from sexual assaults, fellow prisoners said. “That’s how he earned his reputation, among guys that were gladiators back then,” Duncan said.

It also was then that Johnson, after studying Islam, chose the name Mwalimu, Swahili for “teacher.”

Johnson was released in the late 1960s but still had a mistrust of police. So, when a squad car drove up as he stood in the front yard of a relative’s house in 1975, he ran; he was shot in the back and paralyzed.

He was then sentenced to seven years for assault on the officers who had shot him and to 50 years for an unrelated armed robbery that he said he had nothing to do with.

He would eventually be released for a wrongful sentence, but not until 1997 — more than 20 years later.

Soon afterward, Denny LeBoeuf hired him to answer the phones at the Capital Post-Conviction Project of Louisiana. “He had a magical way of dealing with the guys on death row,” said LeBoeuf, who would marvel to see young men burst into the office, often with families in tow. They would bear-hug Johnson and then tell their families, “This is the man who made my life possible.”

LeBoeuf’s successor, Gary Clements, heard the news about Johnson’s death as he drove to Angola, but many of the inmates already knew, having heard from guards who were equally heartbroken at the news, he said.

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IN MEMORIAM: Longtime OUSD Employee Debra King-Cooper, 73

Longtime OUSD Employee Debra King-Cooper, 73 Caption: Debra King-Cooper. Courtesy photo. Special to The Post Debra King-Cooper, a beloved mother, grandmother, queen, sister, church member, caregiver, and matriarch, transitioned peacefully on May 20 surrounded by family and love i

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

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Debra King-Cooper. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Debra King-Cooper, a beloved mother, grandmother, queen, sister, church member, caregiver, and matriarch, transitioned peacefully on May 20 surrounded by family and love in the comfort of her home. To her children, she was royalty, grace, strength, and unconditional love embodied.

Debra Diane Edgar was born on May 28, 1952, in San Francisco, California, to Charles Edgar Sr. and Mamie Arthur Edgar. She was raised alongside her younger brother, Charles Edgar Jr., affectionately known as “Little Brother” or “Lil Bruh.” She also shared close bonds with her older siblings Carol Edgar-Lang, Maryann Edgar Calloway, and Lonnie Lewis Sr.

A proud product of San Francisco’s historic Fillmore District, Debra attended Andrew Jackson Elementary School, where she met her lifelong best friend and adopted sister, Lynn Green, in the fifth grade. She later attended Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School, Roosevelt Junior High School and Thomas Jefferson High School.

Debra’s mother transitioned when she was only 17 years old, and her father transitioned when she was 23. Despite these profound losses, Debra remained grounded through the love and support of extended family and lifelong family friends,

In 1971, she married Harold King. On Sept. 24, 1972, they welcomed their first son, Dajuan Artese King, affectionately called “Pop” or “Poppa.” On Aug. 5, 1976, they welcomed their second son, Dante Dupree King, affectionately called “Tay” or “Taboocoo the Baby.”

After her divorce in 1982, Debra assumed full responsibility for raising her sons.

She supported Dajuan’s passion for football by purchasing sports equipment and attending games faithfully. She supported Dante’s love of music by enrolling him in the San Francisco Boys Choir, Oakland Boys Choir, and the Castlemont Castleers.

Professionally, Debra built an exceptional career. She worked at Blue Shield of California from 1973 until 1994, earning multiple promotions.

She later joined the Oakland Unified School District, initially in a temporary role before being promoted into management within the Labor Relations Department. She retired from OUSD in 2015 after years of distinguished service. During her years at OUSD, she built meaningful friendships with her colleagues.

Faith was central to Debra’s life. During the 1980s, following personal hardship, she joined Love Center Church under the leadership of Bishop Walter Hawkins, where she brought her children regularly. She later became a member of Triumphant: A Church Without Walls Ministries under Pastor Dr. Larry Short, who became a beloved spiritual mentor.

After Triumphant closed in 1992, Debra joined Cosmopolitan Baptist Church in Oakland under the leadership of Pastor Larry Ashley, where she remained for the rest of her life.

At Cosmopolitan, she worked in numerous ministries. She served on the usher board, sang in the choir, participated in the AIDS ministry during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, helped feed and support unhoused community members, and mentored and supported a group of young girls.

After retirement, she cared for older adults in her church community, driving them to appointments, cleaning their homes, managing finances, preparing meals, and helping families navigate funeral arrangements after loved ones transitioned.

Even while battling Stage 4 cancer herself, she continued caring for others.

Debra was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Edgar Sr. and Mamie Arthur Edgar; her brothers, Lonnie Lewis Sr. and Charles Edgar Jr.; her sisters, Maryann Edgar Calloway and Victoria Stephenson Knight; and her adopted mother, Clara Oliver.

She leaves to cherish her memory her beloved sons, Dajuan King and Dante King; grandson, Tiyler Dajuan Artese King; sister, Carol Edgar-Lang; goddaughters Monique Belle and Ricketa Matthews Jones (Leonard); daughter-in-love Quiona Sullivan; son-in-love Marcel Walker; sister-in-law Delores Lewis; adopted sisters and lifelong friends Lynn Green, Barbara Stephenson Hill, and Sarah Fine; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews, extended family members, her church family and dear friends.

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Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance

This video from BlackPressUSATV explores the significance of Juneteenth, focusing on the enduring wisdom of Frederick Douglass. It delves into his powerful perspectives on the vital role of education as a tool for liberation and empowerment. Douglass’s words are presented as a cornerstone for understanding the ongoing struggle for equality and the importance of continuous […]
The post Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 days ago

June 16, 2026

Oakland Post

The content highlights how education and active resistance are intertwined, drawing parallels from historical movements to contemporary challenges. This exploration of Frederick Douglass’s teachings offers valuable insights into the spirit of Juneteenth and its relevance in today’s fight for justice and human rights.

The post Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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LIVE! — ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.19.26 7PM EST

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3 days ago

June 16, 2026

Oakland Post

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