William Overton Johnston founded Episcopal Churchmen for South Africa in New York City on 12 June 1956.1 From then until his death in 1998 he conducted a ministry to help liberate southern Africa from the apartheid system of white supremacy.
Johnston had little money, staff or modern equipment, but he poured his intense energy into that task with total devotion. He lived in poverty, but his life was enriched by his support of the oppressed and by his pursuit of justice. He sought to break down the barriers of inequality and privilege in which the Episcopal church was complicit. He developed an international network of people in the church and out of the church committed to such work. The network was never large, but it played an important role in the liberation of southern Africa.
This essay will provide an introduction to Johnston's life, covering the early years of his work up to the point where he drew back from challenging the Episcopal Church's bureaucracy on South Africa issues to concentrate on the liberation of the people of Namibia.
Johnston was born on 20 September 1921 to Robert Evans Johnston and Juliet Overton Alves in Henderson, Kentucky, a small town on the Ohio River. He was the only child of the marriage to survive to adulthood. His family was deeply established in the town. His father owned a taxicab company and considerable local real estate. His grandfather had been mayor.
The Johnston family were members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Johnston's Aunt Jeanie had enough influence in the church to persuade the bishop to confirm Will Overton in a private ceremony before he left for overseas service in World War II.
Publication information: Article title: One of God's Irregulars: William Overton Johnston and the Challenge to the Church to Divest from Apartheid South Africa, 1954-1971. Contributors: Lockwood, Edgar - Author. Journal title: Anglican and Episcopal History. Volume: 71. Issue: 3 Publication date: September 2002. Page number: 411+. © Historical Society of the Episcopal Church. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.