Sterling Johnson

Sterling Johnson (they/he) is a black, queer and disabled, scholar-activist, organizer, lawyer, geographer, writer, orator and doctoral candidate in the Geography and Urban Studies Department at Temple University located in Philadelphia, PA/Lenapehoking. His research focuses on Political Ecology of Health and the Body and Black geographies and theorizing the connections between homelessness, harm reduction, displacement, decolonization and settler colonialism. Even with these interests, he is focused on how Black people can thrive in this world free from racist ableist views of our abilities and worldview.

He is the Board President of the Philadelphia Community Land Trust (arose from 2020 Phila. Parkway Encampment Protest), an organizer with Philadelphia Housing Action, and member of the following groups: Black and Latinx Community Control, the National Survivors Union, the Pennsylvania HIV Justice Alliance, and the Masculinity Action Project.

Their experience has been working in collaboration with their community to gain resources, build infrastructure for liberatory practice and defend against state violence and combatting hegemonies of misogyny, misogynoir, classism and transphobia. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the American University and master’s degree from George Washington University in Geography. He has a juris doctorate from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings).