In 2020, with support from the University of Georgia’s Presidential Task Force on Race, Ethnicity and Community, the School of Law partnered with the School of Public and International Affairs to establish the Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr. Lecture on Race, Law and Policy in honor of the late jurist, who was a trailblazer for the Black community in Georgia.

Johnson was a pioneer throughout his life. He was one of five students who helped desegregate Newton County, Georgia, schools in the 1960s. He graduated from the UGA School of Law in 1982. After briefly working in Atlanta, Johnson became the first Black attorney to practice in his home county. In 2002, he became the first Black Superior Court judge to serve in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit when then-Gov. Roy Barnes appointed him to the post. He remained in this role until his death in July 2020.

The inaugural lecture took place in Spring 2021 as a part of the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Desegregation at the University of Georgia.