Kathryn Johnson has recently settled into retired life. She has been filling her time by traveling, consulting and being part of Cleveland Documenters. She sat down with Signal Cleveland to talk about her activism journey and her desire to uplift the community.

Good afternoon. You have been a lifelong Cleveland resident. Can you talk a little bit about your upbringing in the city?

I am 64 years old. I grew up in Fairfax, and I currently live in our family home. Growing up in Fairfax has been an adventure because I’ve seen the highs, I’ve seen the lows and I’ve seen the resurgence. There was a time where we had everything we needed in our neighborhood. Grocery stores, churches, the dentist…you name it, we had it.

My house was the “cool house” because we had a basketball hoop, so all the other kids in the neighborhood would always come over to play. My brothers were in a band, which was going very well until the roof fell in from the vibrations and volume of the music, which put a halt to their music plans. Everyone was always looking out for one another. It was just a loving environment to grow up in.

What was the earliest form of civic engagement that you can remember participating in?

I got involved early. I had a group of friends and, as we grew up, we became very socially conscious in our lives. There was an old athletic club that at the time was male only. In the seventh grade, me and my friends went to the club and demanded that they let us in – as women. I don’t know who we thought we were at the time, but we were determined! They didn’t let us in, but it felt good to challenge them.

How did you hear about Cleveland Documenters?

I saw a post on Facebook and I thought, this is right up my alley.” I responded and the rest is history. I was part of the first group of Documenters in 2021, and I really enjoy it. I’ve learned so much about the city, how it works and who the players are. 

What are some of the most interesting meetings you have covered?

I started documenting at the beginning of the pandemic, so I focused primarily on the health-related meetings. That was fascinating because you got to see these major health care providers come together with the local government and the state to work together towards solutions, which was good to see.

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I also enjoy covering the ward meetings. You really get a sense of who the councilpersons are and what they stand for. Some of them are really committed to their communities and are doing great work.

Did you have a preference when it came to taking notes/audio versus live-tweeting?

For me, I’m not very tech savvy in that way, so note-taking and audio recording is what I typically do. 

What would be your elevator pitch to someone who was considering becoming a Documenter?

Honestly, I would start with the money. It’s not a lot of money, but it makes a difference as someone who believes in multiple streams of income. You can learn about your city, share what you’ve learned and get paid to do it. 

I was at a community meeting where Lila Mills (the editor-in-chief of Signal Cleveland) was there to talk about Documenters. She introduced me as one of the Documenters. After she left, so many people came up to me and asked how they could get involved. I took them through the process and showed them how simple it was, so that was really nice.

We have an election coming up. What role do you see the Cleveland Documenters playing in that?

I was actually wondering if the Cleveland Documenters or Signal Cleveland, which is the home of Cleveland Documenters, could host or sponsor some debates for these different races across the city. When you mention either of those two entities, people know who they are, so I think we could see some real impact there.

What have been some challenges you’ve faced while documenting and how were you able to overcome them?

When I took my first assignment, I was terrified that I was going to get it wrong or that I was going to leave something important out. I just had to make a plan to approach it. I decided on watching the meeting and really focusing on what was being said. Then I would go back and re-watch the meeting for some of the more intimate details. Once I got in my groove, I was good to go.

There has been a lot of conversation around the youth in Cleveland lately. They are growing up in a totally different world than before. What do you think we are missing when it comes to youth outreach and getting them to be more civically engaged?

I think the young people feel like they are being preached to and not drawn on. So much focus has been on the elders and what it took for them to get the right to vote, which is accurate and they need to know that. 

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They also need to know what’s in it for them. We need to make a better effort in reaching out to young people with things that are relevant to them right now. We have to show them that they are a part of the community and the future. Getting them involved in community meetings and allowing them a seat at the table to make decisions is important. We have to try and get to know them, the music they like, who they are. By listening to them, you will see a turn around and they will be more willing to come forward with ideas or concerns that they may face.