Biography
Early Life
Dr. Tarece Johnson is best known for becoming the first Black and Jewish woman elected to the Gwinnett County, Georgia, Board of Education.
Dr. Tarece grew up in Houston, TX. She interacted with people from different religious traditions. This included Protestants, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and Baha’is.
She attended La Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She earned a Language and Literature degree and became fluent in French and Spanish.
She pursued a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration at Columbia University. Then obtained a Master’s degree in Business from Emory University.
Dr. Tarece converted to Reform Judaism in 2016. The following year she earned her Doctorate in Education from Capella University. Her focus was on Multicultural/Multilingual education. She specialized in Leadership and Management.
Academic Leadership
Dr. Tarece is a womanist and multiculturalist. She is a diversity and inclusion advocate. And she is also an abolitionist and activist.
She founded the Global Purpose Academy in 2011. The academy is a nonprofit, nonsectarian school.
It focuses on students’ individuality through personal achievements, academic excellence, emotional and social development, and spiritual enlightenment.
In 2013, she helped found the Peninsula International Academy in Placencia, Belize.
She founded institutions based on equity in education. She also published educational tools about the benefits of multicultural education.
Her book, The Global Purpose Approach (2018), teaches multicultural education. It acknowledges unity despite cultural differences.
She also co-founded the Multicultural Jewish Alliance. The organization creates safe spaces for multicultural Jewish families.
Community Advocacy
Dr. Tarece is a local leader in the Georgia community and beyond. She is best known for becoming the first Black and Jewish woman elected to the Gwinnett County Board of Education in 2020.
She is a leader in the Atlanta NAACP, March on Georgia, Alliance for Black Lives, and Friends of the Children.
In August of 2022, Dr. Tarece voted in favor of changing disciplinary policies that lead to Gwinnett County students being sent to alternative (behavioral) schools. Over 80% of the students are Black or Hispanic.
She believes “appropriately addressing discipline in schools can aid in ending the school-to-prison pipeline.”
As a leader, Dr. Tarece has made significant contributions to community-building and organizational development.
She actively utilizes her social media platforms to bring awareness to social justice issues and leaders to effect change.
Dr. Tarece Johnson’s life and work reflect the power of activism, leadership, and religious conviction.
A key focus of her activism and leadership has been to combat systemic racism, discrimination of all kinds, anti-Semitism, marginalization, and oppression.
