Adam Johnson oral history interview, 2020 May 7

Description

Adam Johnson was a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at UNC Charlotte in April of 2019 and recounts his memory of a gunman opening fire inside his LBST class in the Kennedy building on April 30th. Mr. Johnson recalls his class being in the middle of team presentations when he heard gunshots and began ushering students out of one of the two doors in the classroom. As students left the building and began to disperse, he remembers bringing some students into the Barnard Building, where they hid in the Anthropology Department Chair's office and called 911. Mr. Johnson sought solace in close friends over the next few days, choosing not to attend the vigil because he felt it should be solely about the victims and injured students. He also visited his injured students in the next few days and still stays in contact with many of his students. He speaks about being invited to attend the Remembrance events at UNC Charlotte in 2020, but was living in Texas at the time. He discusses his decision to not attend the virtual event (United : A Remembrance Program) marking the first anniversary of the shooting because it is a tragedy he remembers every day of his life. Mr. Johnson concludes by discussing how the experience changed his life and affected him as a teacher. He feels the best way to remember Reed Parlier and Riley Howell should be some type of living memorial and that their names should be part of the UNC Charlotte culture moving forward.