On Saturday, June 1st, City Schools of Decatur Board of Education member and Co-Founder of Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, Jana Johnson-Davis, will be honored with Florida A&M University National Alumni Association's highest award, the Distinguished Alumni Award. Johnson-Davis will be among the Class of 2024 Distinguished Alumni at the National Alumni Association Awards Gala this Saturday in Tampa, Florida. Every year, the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association (FAMU NAA) celebrate and acknowledge alumni who have distinguished themselves in their respective professions.

The awards gala is dedicated to honoring and celebrating the remarkable accomplishments of its esteemed alumni. The gala brings together alumni, faculty, students, and distinguished guests to recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of FAMU graduates.

Jana received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Florida A&M University, a Master of Arts in Urban Education from Goddard College, and an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont College. Jana is currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership & Change from Antioch University.She is an activist educator who carries the ideals that she learned at Florida A&M University as she fights for the equitable treatment of marginalized students and citizens in the city of Decatur, justice for victims of police violence nationally, and the humanization of Georgia's victims of COVID-19. Prior to retiring from the classroom in 2019, Jana was a public-school special education teacher who tirelessly advocated for the implementation of non-exclusionary discipline practices, culturally responsive teacher training, and new reading curriculum to increase the educational outcomes of Decatur’s traditionally marginalized Black students. Jana is a co-founder of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, a human rights organization, which initially organized community members to bring attention to the discipline disproportionality and the achievement gap that has historically existed between Black and white students in the City Schools of Decatur. 

On October 3, 2018, Jana completed her last of 20 radiation treatments for breast cancer. When the oncologist told Jana that she would need radiation, she started the treatments a week earlier than recommended, so she could make it to Tallahassee for Homecoming. On October 6, 2018, with the support of family and friends, Jana and her husband, Attorney Mawuli M. Davis, presented a “big check” in the amount of $26,295 to celebrate the end of her cancer treatments.

During the movement to remove the Confederate monument from the Decatur Square, Jana co-organized student and youth engagement for marches, rallies, and community education programs. In the summer of 2020, Jana co-lead protests and marches in Decatur, Atlanta, Brunswick, Savannah, and Sylvania, Georgia. One of the protests that Jana participated in for Julian Lewis, an unarmed Black motorist murdered by a state trooper, was a five-day, 63-mile march.

“Receiving the Florida A&M University Distinguished Alumni Award is truly an honor. FAMU has played a pivotal role in my life and the woman I am today. I am incredibly grateful for the scholarship, opportunities, and lifelong connections that I have gained from this HBCU. It is a privilege to be recognized among such accomplished and inspiring alumni. This award serves as a reminder of the impact we can make when we stay connected, give back, and continue to strive for excellence. I am deeply honored and proud to be a part of the FAMU family, or as we say, the FAMUly.” – Jana Johnson-Davis