About
Biography
E. Patrick Johnson is Dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor of Performance Studies and African American Studies at Northwestern University. He is a 2020 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He has additional appointments in the Gender and Sexuality Studies and American Studies programs. A scholar/artist, Johnson performs nationally and internationally and has published widely in the areas of race, gender, sexuality
Johnson’s performance work dovetails with his written work. His staged reading, “Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales” is based on his book, Sweet Tea, and has toured to over 100 college campuses from 2006 to the present, and his full-length stage play, Sweet Tea—The Play, premiered in Chicago and toured to Austin, Texas, Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Providence, Rhode Island, Durham, North Carolina
Johnson has also received awards for his performance work, including the Leslie Irene Coger Award for Outstanding Contributions to Performance from the National Communication Association, the Bert Williams Award for Best Solo Performance, from the Chicago Black Theater Alliance, and the René Castillo Otto Award for Political Theater.
He is the star and co-executive producer (with John L. Jackson, Jr.) of the documentary, Making Sweet Tea, based on the book and play.
In 2010 he was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.
Awards
2024
CHAT Communication Justice Award
2022
Frederick Douglass Medal
2021
Distinguished Scholar Award
2020
Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2020
Finalist, Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction
2020
Special Recognition Film
2020
Jury Award for Best USA Documentary
2020
Best Documentary Feature-Length Film; Audience Favorite Feature-Length Film
2020
Judges’ Choice Award
2020
BestDocumentary Audience Award
2020
Best Directors
2019
Best Feature Documentary; Best Cinematography.
2019
Silver Image Award
2019
Best Documentary Audience Award
2019
Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction Finalist.
Awarded by the Publishing Triangle for Black. Queer. Southern. Women.—An Oral History
2019
Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the LGBT Studies Category .
Awarded by the Lambda Literary Foundation for Black. Queer. Southern. Women.—An Oral History
2019
Stonewall Book Award Honor Book.
Awarded by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association for Black. Queer. Southern. Women.—An Oral History Education
2017
Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the LGBT Anthology Category .
Awarded by the Lambda Literary Foundation for No Tea, No Shade: New Writings in Black Queer Studies
2015
Oscar Brockett Award for Outstanding Teaching.
Awarded by the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ASTR)
2014
Otto Reneé Castillo Award for Political Theatre
Awarded by the New York-based Castillo Theater to recognize the achievement of individuals and theatre companies who conceive, produce and foster the development of innovative and socially challenging theatre.
2010
Chicago Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Hall of Fame
Awarded by the City of Chicago for outstanding contributions to the LGBT community.
2010
Bert Williams Award for Best Solo Performance in a play, Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South
Awarded by the Black Theater Alliance in Chicago.
2010
Leslie Irene Coger Award for Distinguished Performance
Awarded by the Performance Studies Division of the National Communication Association.
2010
Esteem Outstanding Service Award
Awarded by PrideIndex.com for outstanding service to the African American LGBT community.