HERO: Monica Johnson
Named one of People Magazine’s Women Changing the World in 2022, Monica Johnson has been on the frontlines of poverty in rural Louisiana for almost 30 years. Monica’s grassroots organization HEROES is a testament to her tenacity and the vision she has for her community.
HEROES is a starting point.
A point of connection.
A life line.
We know our community. We support, educate and uplift our community through adult wellness, youth education and community healing.
Monica Johnson leads an all-female team—
women-of-color who live in the very community they serve.
Our Team
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MONICA JOHNSON
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
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KATIE ALSTON
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
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TAMELA HUTCHINSON
PROGRAM MANAGER
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CELINE FLORES-ROBINSON
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
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ANDREA SEWELL-NELSON, R.N., M.A., MFT
COUNSELOR
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YASMEEN BAUGH, MHA
DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
We Build Trust
Annual Wellness Retreat, DREAM, in its 20th year.
By addressing racial discrimination, stigma and distrust in the system, we connect our clients to the care they need and deserve.
We Heal and Grow
Monthly group support meetings support people living with and affected by HIV.
HIV+ support groups for Black women and gay men provide a supportive community for those shamed by their families, isolated by disease and disconnected by geography.
We Educate and Connect
Sex-ed training for high-risk teenagers is part of the after-school program curriculum.
Our after-school programs provide a safe, educational environment for children and teenagers. Our sex-ed program teaches basic facts on sex and sexuality, which are “taboo” topics in public schools.
HEROES through the years
1993
Vaurice LaMon, the first hero, dies.
1995
In memory of her son, Monica Johnson begins HEROES to serve women and children living with HIV; to educate and prevent the spread of the disease; and, to address the rampant domestic violence in her community.
1998
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds first HEROES initiative.
2000
HEROES hosts its first annual 3-day DREAM retreat supporting HIV-positive women, men and high-risk teenagers.
2001
HEROES established an after-school program for high-risk youth with a reading program, library, computer lab and extracurricular activities
2003
Monica Johnson receives award from the African American Women’s Institute for her role in fighting for justice in the rural South.
2007
HEROES sponsored the first annual Juneteenth parade and family picnic in Caldwell Parish (county).
2009
HEROES launches the Keyah program for all women in Northeast Louisiana, focusing on the top five diseases that kill women.
2014
HEROES is featured in the award-winning documentary deepsouth, which has become the quiet anthem for a region in crisis.
2019
HEROES published its first research report and study that analyzed the disparities between rural and urban health models. That same year, Monica received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Award.
2020
HEROES continues to serve the community, which in 2020 has the highest infection rates of Covid-19 in the state of Louisiana.
2021
HEROES embarks on a new era of its organization, changing their business paradigm to lay the foundation for generational change for the most oppressed people in America.
The Path Forward
Despite the funding pitfalls, and a pandemic that has devastated rural Northeast Louisiana more than any other part of the state, HEROES continues to work for their community.
With a proven track record, trust of the community, and pure grit, imagination and will, HEROES now seeks strategic partnerships and dedicated investors who seek local, high-impact social and racial justice in one of the most resource-poor areas of America.
A hybrid business-non-profit model would shield HEROES from funding cuts and enable them to build a resilient community. The HEROES land project will become a model of change for communities to change from within.