Javon Johnson

Javon Johnson is a spoken word poet, activist, and professor who holds the position of director of African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. A respected figure in the media, Johnson has been featured on several television programs such as HBO's "Def Poetry Jam," BET's "Lyric Café," TVOne's "Verses & Flow," "The Arsenio Hall Show," and "The Steve Harvey Show." Notably, Johnson also co-wrote the Showtime documentary "Crossover."

Johnson's passion for spoken word is demonstrated in his active involvement in the Da Poetry Lounge slam team, with which he won the National Poetry Slam championship in 2003 and 2004. This achievement was followed by his performance at the Fourth of July celebration at Grand Park in Los Angeles in 2015 and another victory at the National Poetry Slam in 2017 as a member of San Diego PoetrySLAM. In addition to his performances, Johnson has made significant contributions to literature, authoring "Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities" in 2017 and co-editing "The End of Chiraq: A Literary Mixtape" in 2018.

In 2022, Johnson adapted his impactful poem "Cuz He's Black" into the short film "Voicemails to Myself Vol. 1," further showcasing his talent in storytelling through various mediums. An article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal highlighted this film's profound message. Johnson has published works discussing race, gender, and sexuality in slam and spoken word poetry communities. He has also been part of critical conversations on subjects like the experience of being a Black student, debt, the education system, and the topic of being Black and happy.