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 and performance. Johnson is a prolific performer and scholar, and an inspiring teacher, whose research and artistry has greatly impacted African American studies, Performance studies, and Gender and Sexuality studies. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of several award-winning books, including his most recent two: Black. Queer. Southern. Women.—An Oral History (University of North Carolina Press, 2018) and, Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women (Duke UP, 2019). He has received multiple awards for his scholarship, including the Lilla A. Heston Award, the Errol Hill Book Award, Hurston/Wright Legacy Book Finalist, Stonewall Book Award Honor Book, Lambda Literary LGBTQ Studies Book Award Finalist, the Randy Majors Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to LGBT Scholarship in Communication, Publishing Triangle Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction Finalist,  Lambda Literary LGBTQ Anthology Award Finalist.

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 and the National Black Theater Festival.

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

Awarded by CHAT (Communication Health, Advocacy & Therapy) for outstanding contributions to increase access to speech-language therapy and social justice

2022

HRC Community Visibility Award

Awarded by the Human Rights Campaign Chicago for outstanding contributions to the LGBTQ+ community

2022

Frederick Douglass Medal

Awarded by the Frederick Douglas Institute for African and African-American Studies at the University of Rochester for distinguished individuals whose scholarship and civic engagement honor Frederick Douglass’s legacy
2021

Distinguished Scholar Award

Awarded by the National Communication Association for a distinguished career in communication research
2020

Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Inducted for distinguished service to the academy

2020

Finalist, Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction

Awarded by Footcandle Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
2020

Special Recognition Film

Awarded by CineOdyssey Film Fest for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
2020

Jury Award for Best USA Documentary

Awarded by Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film

2020

Best Documentary Feature-Length Film; Audience Favorite Feature-Length Film

Awarded by Footcandle Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
2020

Judges’ Choice Award

Awarded by the Longleaf Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
2020

BestDocumentary Audience Award

Awarded by the Kansas City International Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film

2020

Best LGBTQ Film

Awarded by the San Diego Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
2020

Best Directors

Nominated by San Diego Black Film Festival for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
2019

Best Feature Documentary; Best Cinematography.

Nominated by Southern States IndieFanFilmFest for Making Sweet Tea documentary film

2019

Silver Image Award

Awarded by the Association of American Retired Persons (AARP) for Positive Representation of LGBTQ People over Fifty, for Making Sweet Tea documentary film. Presented at the Chicago Reeling LGBTQ Film Festival
2019

Best Documentary Audience Award

Awarded by Out on Film Festival (Atlanta) for Making Sweet Tea documentary film
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.