The Sky’s the Limit for Actress/Spoken Word Artist Ernestine Johnson-Morrison

What started as a goal to win a Lisa Frank Pencil Kit turned into a lifelong love for creativity and performing. Actress and spoken word artist Ernestine Johnson-Morrison has been pursuing her goals of acting and performing ever since 1998. At 10 years old, she never thought about creative writing or performing until her teacher encouraged her to use a gift that she didn’t even know she had and she won a class contest. From then, the wheels started turning and her passion for the arts began to grow. The LA native’s first acting job was on the 90’s hit show 7^th Heaven. After graduating from Performing Arts High School in Los Angeles, Johnson-Morrison attended the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where she majored in Theatre. In 2011, the actress moved to Atlanta to further pursue her acting career. The trained actress says she doesn’t look for particular roles, but instead takes pride in making a role her own and bringing her own touch of integrity to it. She’s acted in various theatrical productions such as Grease and A Raisin in the Sun. She’s also played roles in FOX Network’s Shots Fired; the box office hit Think Like a Man Too, and has a leading role opposite Comedian DC YoungFly in the movie #DigitalLivesMatter.

In 2014, the determined artist got an opportunity that would change everything. After doing a segment on The Arsenio Hall Show, rapper/activist David Banner was asked for suggestions on spoken word artists, and he suggested an up and coming artist out of Atlanta named Ernestine Johnson. After captivating Hall, the unapologetic poet was booked to perform on an upcoming episode where she performed her truthful piece Average Black Girl. Though it took some time before Average Black Girl took the world by storm it was worth the wait. Johnson-Morrison described that one year wait as God’s preparation for her. The enlightened entrepreneur has to come to the realization that the purpose of her gift was so much bigger than her. Since its debut, “Average Black Girl” has received over 60 million views and opened a door for her to become an internationally recognized spoken word artist. After Average Black Girl, the now internationally recognized spoken word artist had the opportunity to perform elsewhere including the OWN Network’s It’s Not You, It’s Men hosted by Tyrese and Rev Run. The UNLV alumnus, who looks to Teri J. Vaughn and Michelle Obama as examples of model women, said that she not only models her poetry, but her life after Susan Batson’s Truth. She only writes vulnerable and truthful messages that “hit you in the gut”. Though she only writes poems a few times a year, she aims to make every word count.

Aside from being a gripping actress and fascinating spoken word artist, Ernestine Johnson-Morrison is also a happily newlywed wife. She and husband, Jay Morrison, are committed to each other as well as the community around them. They are involved in the uplifting and transformation of their local communities and the black community as a whole. The Tulsa Real Estate Fund, their project named for the great Black Wall Street, allows anyone to invest as little as $500 to become a shared property owner. The Tulsa Real Estate Fund recently closed on their first property, a 30,000 square foot commercial building that will be used as an entrepreneurial incubator, workspace, and film studio. After the closing, all 12,103 investors became property owners. Johnson-Morrison stressed the importance of involving the community because it brings a sense of pride to our communities and the families within the community. The Morrison’s are also teaching financial literacy and real estate at the Jay Morrison Academy as well as through something that they call Corner Class during their #BuyBacktheBlock tour. With the Corner Class program, they set up a whiteboard on a street corner in the hood and teach real estate and financial literacy through poetry. Though she believes that the black community has become more socially aware and involved and she loves how we now have social media to bring awareness about our struggles she knows we as black people still have some work to do. She strongly believes that the more blacks we have at political tables, the better chance we have at getting our voices heard and our needs met.

When asked what advice she would give to those chasing their dreams the hard working woman said, “Ask God to lead you to your purpose and expose your gift. And then ask him to remove all guilt and shame so you can walk into your purpose”. As far as business goes, she’s most proud of the importance and legacy of the Tulsa Real Estate Fund, but when it comes to life, in general, she’s most proud of the integrity and humility she’s displayed in order to get to where she is today. Ernestine Johnson-Morrison is currently working on a new movie that will be out on BET in March 2019 and also a show on Comedy Central called Broad City.  She isn’t just becoming a household name, but a driving force in changing things within our community.