In Memoriam

Oakland - Poet, author, and the only child of Dr. Maya Angelou, Guy Johnson, passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 16, 2022. The family of Mr. Johnson thanks you for your prayers and words of comfort and strength.

Like his iconic mother, Mr. Johnson spent many years supporting written anthologies and literacy projects for underserved students. In his hometown of Oakland, he was a staunch education advocate for our youth. His message of hope and opportunity for our children was always conveyed with quiet dignity and deflection of personal attention.

An inspirational guest speaker, Mr. Johnson spent nearly fifteen years coming to the high school English classes of veteran teacher, Marsha Rhynes. He facilitated powerful in-class writing seminars, encouraged students to write for publication, and served as an integral part of our Read to Live Project which gifts young people with books they can “keep and own.” Over the years, Mr. Johnson was a guest speaker for thousands of OUSD students who attended our literacy-based field trips.

Rhynes said, “It is an honor to have been the teacher blessed to meet and share my classes with Mr. Johnson. Although I never physically met his mother, he sent messages from his mother directly to my students and me. What an amazing opportunity for each of these young people.  None of us will ever forget Mr. Johnson. When he said, ‘Bravo’ to a student who created a beautiful piece of writing, it was truly an affirmation of a job well done. Guy Johnson was an active presence and respected community leader who supported every aspect of our students’ academic journey.”

Bookstore Community Relations Manager Barbara Tavres hosted field trips to a local store for Rhynes and her students. Every event had local authors as guest speakers. The excitement on campus was intense, and these field trips always had waiting lists. Students listened as the authors read excerpts from their books, shared their own writing before an authentic audience, including Mr. Johnson, and shopped for books to take home. Educator Betsye Steele added, “Mr. Johnson believed unequivocally that our solutions must evolve in Oakland classrooms, that we must be prepared to show up and lend our personal resources directly to schools where needed, and to build a pipeline of resources to students and families to fill their needs.”

Mr. Johnson always found the time in his full schedule to attend these bookstore field trips, often accompanied by his wife, Stephanie and other family members. “We came to support these young people,” he said plainly, encouraging others in the audience to volunteer in Oakland schools. Sharing his experiences in Ms. Rhynes’ classes, Mr. Johnson stressed that mentoring young people through writing seminars and helping them publish their writing is an intrinsic part of validating the expectation of achieving academic excellence.

In 2011, Mr. Johnson wrote an endorsement for an anthology produced by Castlemont students and Ms. Rhynes. Touched by the stories of the students, Mr. Johnson asked his mother to write a foreword to the book. Dr. Angelou’s words gave wings to this poignant and powerful collection of student writing in Oakland that was dedicated to a classmate slain just a few days before graduation.

Kyesha Thompson pictured with her son Makye Martin