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Shelton Johnson

Shelton Johnson dreamed of mountains as a boy, living in inner city Detroit.

Shelton Johnson dreamed of mountains as a boy, living in inner city Detroit.

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Shelton Johnson Biography

Shelton Johnson dreamed of mountains as a boy, living in inner city Detroit. Shelton had never been to a mountain range in the United States and his only experiences with nature and wildlife came through television and movie screens.

Enrolled in an MFA program at the University of Michigan, Shelton Johnson applied to be a seasonal worker at Yellowstone, thinking the park would provide a quiet place to work on his writing. "I got off a bus in Gardiner, Montana," Shelton remembers, "right outside the north entrance....And as I was stepping down onto the ground, there was a bison – a 2,000-pound animal – walking by. There was no one else around and the bison was just strolling by! I looked up at the driver and I said, 'Does this happen all the time?' And he looked at me and said, 'All the time.' And I said to myself, 'I have arrived.'"

Shelton Johnson has been working in national parks ever since, spending time in Yellowstone, Great Basin, and as an interpreter at Fort Dupont Park in the Anacostia section of Washington, DC. There, Shelton met students like himself and his friends who had grown up in Detroit – tough inner-city black kids whose understanding of nature was about as distant as Mars. "That's when I first made the resolution that I had to figure out how to connect these kids with nature, to get them to have a nature experience."

Shelton found his key for connecting with audiences after being transferred to Yosemite. Deep in the archives of the park, he stumbled across a faded photo of buffalo soldiers who had patrolled Yosemite at the turn of the 20th century. Since 1998, Shelton Johnson has told the story of the Buffalo Soldiers in the national parks – in print, on camera, and in person. He has traveled to public schools and spoken with kids throughout America. He has tracked down descendants of the soldiers, authored an award-winning website, and been lauded by civic groups and governments for his work. During evening programs and daytime ranger walks in Yosemite, he tells the story through the dramatic portrayal of a character he's developed: Sergeant Elizy Boman.

Shelton Johnson was cited for his extensive collaboration with Ken Burns during the filming of the landmark documentary "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." Shelton appeared in the film extensively, reflecting on his experiences as a National Park Service ranger. He also worked on a collaborative project, telling the previously untold stories of diverse peoples in national parks. These messages are reaching far beyond Yosemite National Park and have facilitated lasting connections between African Americans and their national parks.

All the while, Shelton Johnson has remained true to the reason he started this work. "I can't forget that little black kid in Detroit," he says. "And I can't not think of the other kids, just like me – in Detroit, Oakland, Watts, Anacostia – today. How do I get them here? How do I let them know about the buffalo soldier history, to let them know that we, too, have a place here? How do I make that bridge, and make it shorter and stronger? Every time I go to work and put the uniform on, I think about them."

Shelton Johnson Videos

  • Park Ranger Shelton Johnson Talks About Oprah Winfrey At Yosemite
  • Shelton Johnson: The Best Idea America Ever Had - YouTube

Shelton Johnson Books

  • Gloryland
    Gloryland

FAQs on booking Shelton Johnson

  • How do I book Shelton Johnson to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Shelton Johnson for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Shelton Johnson, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Shelton Johnson or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Shelton Johnson

    Speaking fees for Shelton Johnson, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Shelton Johnson are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Shelton Johnson, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Shelton Johnson speak about?

    Shelton Johnson is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Earth Day, Environment, Environmental Policy.
  • Where does Shelton Johnson travel from?

    Shelton Johnson generally travels from an undisclosed location, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Shelton Johnson’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Shelton Johnson for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Shelton Johnson for your next private or corporate function.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Shelton Johnson or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Shelton Johnson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Shelton Johnson for your event is available upon request. Shelton Johnson generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Chuks Okereke, John Kasaona, Jerome Ringo, Calvin Mackie and Drs. Adjiedj Bakas. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Shelton Johnson for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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