Forrest B Johnson: Growing a great future for Macon's youth
Throughout his career, attorney Forrest B. Johnson has done a lot to try and support the less fortunate in the community.
'You can't take this with you'
There is a mantra for Georgia Attorney Forrest B Johnson that has driven him throughout the course of his career and beyond: “You can’t win if you have losing on your mind.”
He adopted this at a young age. But beyond this mantra, there is another bit of Johnson that is core to who he is: service.
He has hosted many events, raised a lot of money and done a lot of good for the community.
"I really like Macon and I [can] tell you why," Johnson said. "There are situations where you can affect change, you can do positive things."
And Johnson has done a considerable amount of good in the Macon community. He once gave away 1,000 meals to remember a pastor who died of COVID-19 and has helped donate school supplies to the less fortunate.
But Johnson's road to success was by no means guaranteed.
Born to a single mother in Sarasota, Fla., Johnson was the oldest of two boys. At a very young age, Johnson decided he wanted to become a lawyer. He was only 8 years old.
Even during those times, Johnson kept his mantra — “You can’t win if you have losing on your mind" — at the front of his mind.
But while he didn't have a lot of resources, he had plenty of drive and determination.
"I think a lot of folks who come up poor, they think in and of itself is an obstacle," Johnson said. "No, that's a blessing."
He would go on to attend the University of Florida for undergrad and Tulane University for law school. But with the adversity and challenges he had faced in his life, it instilled lessons that helped him persevere through undergrad — and law school.
“I was in segregated schools until I was in eighth grade, ninth grade. All of my black teachers are from HBCUs," Johnson said. "But not for that foundation, I would not have had the fortitude and resilience to make it at a major university like the University of Florida and Tulane.”
After he graduated from law school, Johnson began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Jacksonville, Fla. Johnson opened his private practice in Jacksonville in 1982 and opened another office in Atlanta in 1988.
'A Community Partner' A Career of Giving Back
Johnson's practice here in Macon represents people who have been injured in slip-and-falls, car crashes and other forms of personal injuries. You may have seen his billboards or ads across Central Georgia.
But throughout his career, Johnson has always found ways to uplift the communities he’s worked in.
On a recent Wednesday, Johnson took part in the "Dress for Success Day" at Rutland High School in Macon. It is a day where the school works to get students college and career-ready.
"Mr. Johnson isn't just a community partner," Wendy Pooler, principal at Rutland High School, said. "He's a member of our family here in the Bibb County School District."
Johnson serves as an inspiration for students who — like him — might have been born without a lot of resources. In looking to Johnson, students can envision a future where they too can make a difference, Pooler said.
"Any time a child or student can see success in somebody else then they can see success in themselves," Pooler said. "That's what Mr. Johnson has given to students of Bibb County School District"
Another way Johnson is trying to help get kids ready for college is through an event he is bringing to Macon on Oct. 28: the United Negro College Fund Masked Ball to the Macon Coliseum.
According to its website, the fund is the nation's largest private scholarship provider to students of color in the country.
Saturday’s ball will help raise money for scholarships, providing pathways into college for young kids of color. This will be Macon’s first UNCF Masked Ball.
This could be Johnson’s biggest event, but it certainly isn’t the first.
For years he has sponsored back-to-school drives, provided holiday meals and toys for families in need and even was there to help out when a tornado tore through Milledgeville in March.
“My grandmother was into public service and community service and my grandad also, my mother also," Johnson said. "This is where I get it from.”
While Johnson has made a considerable amount of money throughout his career, he has also been a generous donor to a number of causes doing good in the community.
"I mean, you can't take this with you. I can't take my car with me, my watch with me," Johnson said. "All I can leave is hopefully some goodwill I was able to give along the way."
The UNCF Masked Ball is Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Macon Marriott City Center. Individual tickets are available for $125. You can pick up tickets here.
Students can apply for the UNCF scholarship here.
Editor's note: While Forrest B Johnson is an advertiser for 13WMAZ, that was not a factor in the production or editing of this story.