A. Moore. The 6-foot-7 Johnson would develop into a strong player for the Cougars, averaging 10 points and 7.5 rebounds over his career. [8][9], Johnson is the founder and CEO of the New Economic Beginnings Foundation, which helps educate and find employment for opportunities for troubled youth and veterans. His agent dropped him. He talks about coming home and finding the electricity cut off, about how he lived in a series of motels following one eviction after another, about attending seven high schools as he and his mother shuttled from place to place. To me, it’s a dream come true. Dr. Jermaine Johnson is a community activist, avid volunteer and public servant who will bring a new era to South Carolina House District 80. As a husband and proud father, Jermaine knows the value and importance of giving back to the community that has helped him raise his family and grow as a leader. Jermaine Johnson navigates South Carolina political circles with the same presence and confidence he once used to patrol basketball courts for the College of Charleston. “This is what I’ve wanted to be a part of.”. “Jermaine is a true activist, and that’s the one thing about him that I admire the most,” said Cynthia Watson, field director for the Richland County Democratic Party. The Yang campaign asked Johnson to set up the candidate’s first visit to South Carolina, over a weekend in May. Three months into his redshirt freshman season, Johnson got into an altercation with his teammate Jeff Horowitz. His father was in an out of prison and had a gambling addiction that contributed to the family’s dire financial straits. As a husband and proud father, Jermaine knows the value and importance of giving back to the community that has helped him raise his family and grow as a leader. It helps prepare resumes and offers continuing education credits through USC. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. He loved the College of Charleston, but I wasn’t sure he was coming back. Johnson has be… [6], Johnson was drafted by the Reno Bighorns in the 6th round of the NBA Development Draft. “He’s really grown up. “It’s amazing. That was the first time I ever saw snow, the first time I ever saw stars. Special to The Post and Courier, By Jamie Lovegrove Johnson intended to transfer to Long Beach State, but ended up staying at Charleston College.[5]. That took hitting rock bottom, which came back in L.A. “I am absolutely amazed by the fact that I didn’t die,” said Johnson, who lives in Columbia with his wife and three children. By Andrew Whitaker [email protected], From homeless youth and turbulent CofC career, Jermaine Johnson is Andrew Yang's guy in SC, By David Caraviello Drugs, gangs and violence were everywhere. Trying to get him out of that environment, an AAU coach helped Johnson land at a prep school outside New York. Low 71F. “They cleaned up, but it took my father a little longer. “Absolutely,” Johnson replied. For those who knew the intractable Johnson who played basketball in Charleston, it’s a head-spinning transformation. You’ve never had stability, and this is what you need.’ That’s what it was.”. Dr. Jermaine Johnson is a community activist, avid volunteer and public servant who will bring a new era to South Carolina House District 80. A lot of people liked him. Charleston, SC 29403, News tips/online questions: [email protected], Delivery/subscription questions: [email protected]. But I’m very proud of him. The result was the New Economic Beginnings Foundation, which helps find employment for people not unlike members of Johnson’s own family — such as one brother who fought to piece his life back together after six years in prison, and another who struggled after leaving the military. But after one season with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League, he was released. He committed to the College of Charleston. He even got kicked out of his first prep school, those demons from Southern California following him 3,000 miles away. Jermaine Johnson’s career at the College of Charleston almost ended before it really began. Post and Courier Out of a white SUV steps Andrew Yang, Democratic candidate for president, who slips on a sport coat and greets Johnson with a wide smile and a bear hug. Johnson also founded a nonprofit that helps military veterans, the recently incarcerated, and others suffering through hard economic times find work. 134 Columbus Street “He puts others first and meets others where they are. “He told me, ‘Bobby, you better make sure he doesn’t leave,’ ” Cremins said. He’s really matured. Three months into his redshirt season of 2004-05, he was involved in a locker room fight with teammate Jeff Horowitz, who alleged in a police report that Johnson punched him in the face and shoved him into lockers. “I had made up my mind. He rallies volunteers who are handing out pins and pamphlets. He reconnected with a former girlfriend from the College of Charleston, a biology major from Columbia named Evan who would eventually become his wife. so close. His professional credentials include working as a Global Career Development Facilitator. Today we celebrate the history and cultures of Native Americans and their contributions to this imperfect nation. File/Grace Beahm Alford/Staff, Jermaine Johnson talks with Jake Abellanosa at the Charleston County Democratic Party Blue Jamboree on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, at The Bend in North Charleston. “My original dream growing up was just to live to see the age of 18. Horowitz would transfer to UNC Wilmington, and Johnson seemed to have one foot out the door as well. But regardless of the results of the 2020 primaries, Johnson’s political career appears to be just getting started. I can call the mayor (of Columbia) right now, and the mayor will answer. It’s but one of the many hats he wears now. Nerds for Humanity #Biden2020 ➡ #Yang2024. After his basketball career ended, Johnson settled in Columbia with his wife and son Jermaine Jr., who had been born during his senior year at the College of Charleston. The foundation provides counselors, works with the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services on expungements and the solicitor’s office on pretrial intervention. It was his pastor, Sammy Wade of St. John Baptist Church in Hopkins, who urged Johnson to see his greater potential. “I had a degree, but I had no job, and I’m trying to figure out what to do with my life.”. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him run for office,” Watson said, “and I would say sooner rather than later.”. Johnson’s community involvement caught the attention of the late S.C. House member Joe Neal, who became his mentor. I just donated again. When Cremins was hired during the summer before Johnson’s redshirt sophomore year, he asked former Charleston coach John Kresse about the Cougars’ mercurial big man. He tells the crowd at the Blue Jamboree in North Charleston about growing up in Los Angeles during the height of the crack epidemic, which shattered his family and forced him into poverty. Johnson centered his campaign around universal basic income, community investment, economic investment, district enhancement and access and accountability. Partly cloudy. Wearing a cap emblazoned with one of Yang’s slogans — MATH, short for “Make America Think Again” — Johnson stood at the candidate's side as more than 100 people lined up for selfies and handshakes. “There are no pretenses about him. “He and I had our spats,” Cremins recalled. But the edginess he carried with him from Los Angeles to Charleston is gone. 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