Sheary Darcus Johnson (’70, ’74M) did not set out to be a trailblazer, but as this institution’s first African American graduate, the mantle was nonetheless on her shoulders.

As a student at the Lucy F. Simms School in Harrisonburg, Johnson realized that “separate but equal” meant secondhand books, teachers with limited experience beyond the African American community and less rigorous academic standards.

“I believe that I needed to go to Madison,” Johnson said. “I needed that library degree. That’s what I was focused on, and I needed that as one of my spirit experiences to get me ready to be able to do the things that I’ve been doing.”

Her Madison College experience was generally positive, with the exception of a few students’ actions. “There were a few people who kind of acted like they didn’t want to be around me. If I sat down, they got up,” she recalled. “But that was on them, how they were acting. How they felt didn’t have to determine how I was going to respond.”

Johnson graduated in 1970 and became the librarian at Waterman Elementary School in Harrisonburg. She earned a master’s degree in library science from Madison and remained in the city until 1978, when she and her husband, Russell Johnson (’74), moved to Richmond for her new job as head librarian at Hopewell High School.

In 1988, she earned an Ed.D. with an instructional technology focus from the University of Virginia and joined the faculty of the College of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she taught library science and supervised student teachers before she left for full-time ministry.

She has written two books, Steps to Empowerment, which explains the concept of bibliotherapy—the use of books, articles and videos to enhance knowledge and understanding to overcome a challenge—and Why I Didn’t Say YES: Understanding the Dynamics of the Body, Soul, and Spirit, which provides insight into understanding oneself as a step toward making the right choices in life.

In her own life, Johnson believes “The Lord ordered my steps. (Going to) Madison was one of the wisest decisions that I made because of what I gained, and I’ve been able to use that to help others. I’d like to feel like I can go in any environment, anywhere, and be able to exist. I am a thinker; I am an observer. I learned the value of just sitting and listening and trying to get all the sides. And more than likely, once you get all the sides, at least you understand what happened or why people think like they think.”