On January 16, 2002, one of the world's most precious jewels was called home to God to grace the heavens. His graduation into ancestry has brought tears to many eyes throughout the nation. We cry, knowing that he deserved this exaltation, but wondering who will tell the world that "Birds teach birds how to fly", "Fish the fish how to swim", and its "Men that teach boys how to be men"? Who will remind us that "Life is hard, from the womb to the tomb, from the time you check in to the time you check out, from your cradle to your grave, life is a struggle. But if you are still alive, you still have a chance"? Who will teach us how to "Raise a child, by praising a Child"? Who will work hard to help all children (Black, white, red, brown, and yellow?) Who will humor us and share with us, so honestly and openly, the joys and pains of their family, and their life? Who will teach us that the "radius of your knowledge determines how large you can live? So if you want to live large, you have to study hard"? Who will embrace gang members, drag young men out of crack houses, motivate and enroll young men back in school, encourage young men and women to abstain from sex, assist single mothers and boys seeking to be fathers in raising their children, teach martial arts to young men and women, love the unlovable, save the unsaveable, reach the unreachable, and help young people achieve the impossible: How could God take Ronald Francis Johnson form us?

He was my Angel. My Guide. My Warrior. My Master Teacher. My Husband. My Friend. My Brother. My Leader. My Support. My Priest. My Spokesman. My Inspiration. My Role Model. My Griot. My Knight in shining armor. My Peacemaker My Encouragement. My Foundation. My Genius. My Hero. My Advocate. My Statesman. My Comedian. My Historian. My Protector. My Worker. My Fighter. My Champion. He was the MAN. He will forever be My FATHER.

I promise to carry my father's work forward. His thoughts, works, and actions have become a catalyst for me to never be comfortable in complacency. My father's message, was God's message, and both my heavenly father and earthly father have birthed a message within me. I will forever struggle to spread this message to the children and families that the larger world has forgotten. God didn't take my father from us, he gave him to us, so that we might hear and receive, this challenging message, in a spirit of love. I boldly answer the call of single mothers, fathers, two-parent families, boys aspiring to be men, girls aspiring to be women, grandmothers raising their grandchildren, prison inmates, impoverished children and families, communities, institutions, and organizations, that are asking who will carry on the work? "I will". My father has established a legacy within me, that I might one day join him in the Hall of Fame of Heaven.

Of these great men, Imhotep, Akenation, Piankhy the great, Sunni Ali, Nat Turner, Denmark Vessy, Richard Allen, Martin Delaney, Henry Highland Garnett, Frederick Douglass, Toussainst L'Ouverture, Benjamin Banneder, Henry Mc Neal Turner, George Washington Carver, Marcus Garvey, WEB DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Malcom X, Martin Luther King, and many more, my father's name will be heard and recognized, as a giant amongst giants, in the struggle for freedom, justice, equality, and righteousness for all people.


Ten Step Rites Of Passage

Ron Johnson, Founder of National Family Life & Education Center, created the Rites of Passage program, in response to a need for programs for teen fathers in 1985. Mr. Johnson's work with teen father's, revealed to him that before teen fathers can learn to be fathers, they must first be taught how to be men, because boys can't be father's, only men can be fathers. Mr. Johnson developed the Ten Step Rites of Passage program, teaching young men and women how to transition form childhood to adulthood. The demand became so great, that Mr. Johnson founded National Family Life & Education Center, offering the Ten Step Rites of Passage program in the greater Los Angeles area. Today, The Ten Step Rites of Passage (ROP) program is the corner stone of National Family Life & Education Center (NFLEC), and all NFLEC programs and services. The program is currently offered in California, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and London, England. In the upcoming year, NFLEC will be adding more states and possibly, two more countries. And the legacy continues…