Wow, what a year! The Judge Frank Johnson Institute was off to the races as soon as 2023 began, and we haven’t slowed down since. There is a nationwide desire to learn about the U.S. Constitution, the judiciary, and Montgomery’s history, and the Johnson Institute is rising to meet the need to foster thoughtful and civil discourse.
Over the course of 2023, we’ve met this need through the following means.
Tours and Events: Our record-breaking growth this year has led to nearly a 100% increase in visitors over our 2022 numbers, with more professional groups, schools, teachers, and visitors learning about our historic civil rights history plus civics and constitutional education. Organizations as diverse as the Faith & Politics Institute, Leadership Alabama, Fair & Just Prosecution, and numerous student groups visited the courthouse to learn about what took place here.
Scholars Conferences: We continue to train teachers nationwide through multi-day conferences on Constitutional education and historical court cases decided here in Montgomery. Each attendee leaves with a deeper understanding of the American judicial system, the Constitution, and hands-on materials to use in their classrooms.
Outreach: Events outside the courthouse this year have allowed the Johnson Institute to share our message more broadly, helping us to reach more people with civics and Constitutional education. This has included co-hosting a Free Speech Forum at Jacksonville State University, presenting with other Montgomery organizations at the Association for Study of African American Life and History annual conference, and speaking to civic and professional groups around the city and state.
As the Johnson Institute’s programming continues to expand, we are looking ahead to 2024. Already, we have nearly a dozen groups lined up through June to visit “America’s Courtroom,” and many schools who visited us this year have already begun planning to return in 2024. Recently, we opened registration for our 2024 Scholars Conference for teachers in the summer. And, we have more exciting programming in the works.
We invite you to join us and consider a financial donation to help the Johnson Institute continue its one-of-a-kind programming.