Key facts
- Marlene Louise Johnson, a former Associated Press reporter, died on May 9 at age 89.
- Johnson sued the AP in 1973 for race and gender discrimination.
- Her lawsuit contributed to the establishment of affirmative action plans at the AP.
- The class-action lawsuit was settled in 1983 for over $1 million.
- Johnson had a career in journalism, public relations, and worked for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration committee.
Marlene Louise Johnson, a former Associated Press reporter whose discrimination lawsuit against the wire service led to affirmative action plans, died on May 9 in Inglewood, California, at the age of 89. Johnson had been suffering from dementia, according to her daughter, Morenike Joela Evans.
Born in Rochester, New York, Johnson earned degrees from Wayne State University and Howard University's School of Divinity. She met civil rights icon Rosa Parks while working for Congressman John Conyers in the early 1970s.
Johnson was hired by the AP in 1972 as a general assignment reporter in the Detroit bureau. She covered topics including Black capitalism, school busing, and women's empowerment. The year after joining the AP, Johnson, who was Black, sued the organization for race and gender discrimination, alleging a lack of training and disparate performance standards compared to her white, male counterparts.
Johnson stated in a 2013 interview that the lawsuit was initially about racism. She recalled being upset when her boss decided to retire and she felt her position was at risk. The Newspaper Guild assisted her in filing the suit, which evolved into a class-action claim involving other female minority journalists.
Johnson took a leave of absence from the AP in June 1975, but her byline reappeared in 1975. Her daughter, Evans, recalled that her mother was upset about the relatively small financial settlement she eventually received.
The class-action lawsuit, filed by The Newspaper Guild against the AP, was settled in 1983 for over $1 million. The agreement, overseen by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, mandated that the AP establish affirmative action plans to increase the hiring of female, Black, and Hispanic journalists. Johnson noted that the lawsuit's plaintiffs shifted from being primarily Black to mostly white, with her name being removed from the suit at one point.
The seven women listed as plaintiffs shared $83,120, with the settlement also including provisions for training and bonuses for minority and female journalists at the AP. Johnson stated she was not motivated by money and faced difficulties finding journalism jobs after filing her lawsuit. Veteran journalist Vincent McCraw, who knew Johnson later in her career, acknowledged her courage in pursuing the discrimination claim.
Johnson later worked in public relations and for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration committee. She also held positions with the Newspaper Guild, the National Urban League, and the National 4-H Council. McCraw helped Johnson return to journalism in 1994, and she worked as an assistant features editor at The Washington Times until her retirement in 2004.
She was a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the Capital Press Club, and the Public Relations Society of America. Johnson lived in the Los Angeles area for about a decade before her death, cared for by her daughter. Her daughter described her as an advocate for people and truth-telling. Johnson wished to be remembered as a friend, someone dependable, a good Christian and mother, and a loving person.