Posted on April 15th, 2024
Georgeann Johnson, co- founder of Mujeres en Cambio, claims that she’s an activist because, “My moon is in Aries. I like to start stuff.”
Born in Ft. Worth, Georgeann went to Texas public schools until 1957 when her adventurous mother, Betty, came to live in Mexico. Georgeann and one of her sisters then attended Augusta Irving’s one-room English school house in San Miguel de Allende. Playing in the streets of what was then a small town, bribing the sacristan of the cathedral to let them ring the great bells, Georgeann made life-long friends and developed a love for this city and the people of this region that brought her back as a permanent resident in 1991.
In the intervening years, Georgeann went to Swiss boarding school and convent school in Spain. She attended the University of Colorado and lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay area of California. She eventually became the Program Director of a Montessori School and a passionate advocate for education. When she returned to Mexico, she said that, “As a teacher, I could look around and see that the last ones to be educated were the rural girls.” Then, as now, the Mexican government provides free public education through the 6th grade. From 7th grade on, parents must pay fees. Many families prioritize education for boys, but cannot afford to educate daughters.
Because Georgeann is an organizer by nature, when she returned to Mexico, she quickly became part of various women’s groups. Building community within these groups, she partnered with others, including Pakina Fernandez to tackle the issue of the lack of educational opportunity for rural girls. Pakina was the wife of the mayor of San Miguel de Allende – a role that called upon her to participate in numerous civic affairs. Pakina was instrumental in helping establish secondarias (middle schools) in many of the surrounding villages. In order to fund scholarships so that rural girls could attend these schools, Pakina and Georgeann organized a series of monthly luncheons featuring food and friendship for a small fee. They also created the Hooked Rug project, which taught village women a craft so they could earn money at home. Sale of the rugs raised money for scholarships. These initiatives were the genesis of Mujeres en Cambio, now about to celebrate its 30th year anniversary.
At age 80, Georgeann still serves on the Board of Mujeres en Cambio as emeritus and mentor. Her current passion is connecting the dots between climate activism and the education of girls. She is currently inspired by Paul Hawken, spokesman for a group of climate scientists who compiled a list of 100 solutions to global warming that could mitigate the worst of climate devastation. Number 6 on their Drawdown list is educating girls! Georgeann hopes to mobilize the attention of other non-profits to examine their organizational objectives to see how they might already fit in with ways to mutually tackle climate change. (https://youtu.be/l3DTKUZsl2Y?si=qZs7V5DVga78CcKn
There’s one more story to tell about Georgeann that illustrates how wide a net she has cast. The other day she went to the bank, where she waited until her favorite banker was free to grab coffee. As the two talked, the young woman asked Georgeann if she was familiar with the small village she came from. Georgeann said she knew it well because of the rural scholarship program she was part of. The young woman became very silent. Then she told Georgeann how Mujeres en Cambio had sponsored her through middle school, high school, and college, giving her a career and changing her life. “Señora,” she said. “You are my godmother.”
Mujeres en Cambio is currently providing scholarships to 169 rural Mexican girls and young women. To contribute: www.mujeresencambio.org
