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Sarah Lawrence College mourns the loss of Paul Kwame Johnson '74 MFA '77, a proud and valued member of the SLC community. Allen Lang, director of the Theatre and Civic Engagement program, shared the following remembrance of Kwame:
With an illustrious career spanning over 50 years, Paul Kwame Johnson emerged as a beacon of excellence in teaching, acting, directing, and playwriting in Yonkers and throughout Westchester County and beyond. His annual contributions to the Sarah Lawrence College community were invaluable, inspiring graduate and undergraduate theatre students through classes and showcasing area talent in memorable performances for Black History Month. Kwame firmly believed in the transformative power of theatre — it can change lives and enrich communities — and his work always embodied this conviction.
Kwame’s unwavering dedication to community work began during his undergraduate days at Sarah Lawrence College, where he was taught and inspired by faculty emerita Shirley Kaplan and the Theatre Outreach Program, one of the first community arts programs of its kind in the nation. He began teaching mime to teens on a basketball court in Yonkers, and in 1971 he partnered with his talented friend, musician James Hill, at the Yonkers Community Action Program’s "School 12". This collaboration was pivotal, leading to the establishment of Youth Theatre Interactions, an institution that has enriched Yonkers' cultural landscape by providing after-school performing arts education for the youth. Today, 50 years later, YTI is widely recognized as a cultural institution that continues to thrive. Most recently, Kwame shared his passion for creativity and theatre with the Theodore D. Young Community Center Adult Acting Workshop, where he founded the Little Blue Room Theatre Company in Greenburgh, NY, recognized as the signature multi-cultural theatre ensemble in Westchester County.