No matter what your path in life, your why will always determine your success. For Attorney Melesa Johnson, being a champion for diversity and inclusion; an advocate for the preservation of culture and community; and simply being an all-around decent human being has helped her become the woman she is today.

“Had you asked me 5 years ago if I would be doing what I’m doing now, I probably would have laughed. I could not get a job straight out of law school, but despite that, I was good to people and those people opened doors and opportunities for me in return. And literally out of nowhere, I got an opportunity to work as a prosecutor for Jean Peters Baker in her administration.” She briefly paused.

“You know, as a person of color growing up in an urban core, we are almost conditioned to have a healthy distrust for the criminal justice system,” she laughed. 

“Needless to say, I was a little reluctant to go down that route. But it was the first job I could get, so I had to find a silver lining. And I thought; if there was ever a position to employ my cultural sensitivities and my background growing up in the city - it would be this position, because I’m making decisions as important as how somebody is charged. Anyhow, all of my pep-talks and prayers must have worked, because [even in the midst of reluctance] it was the best experience I have ever had.”

“I would see people on my probation violation docket in the club, and they’d be like, ‘Mrs. Johnson I haven’t violated’,” she recalled with a smile on her face. “And I felt this...camaraderie with them.”

What sounds like a scene from a rom-com about a badass female attorney, was reality for Johnson. And even stranger than fiction, is a [‘round the way] black woman working as a prosecutor in such a racial divided and violent city. Unfortunately, in places like Kansas City, MO Melesa Johnson just isn’t something you see everyday. 

A unicorn if you will.

“I’ve never felt nervous about going into the city because I was always confident in what I did in my role as a prosecutor. I always knew that the defendants would never think i was steamrolling them, or giving them an unfair shake. It was just me going about my job in the best way, not only for the community and keeping it safe, but also for this person that deserves a second chance at rehabilitation - and deserves to have their case looked at through a certain cultural lens.” One more similar to their own.

Alas, like most important professions in this country, the money just isn’t in prosecution. For this reason, and because of what Johnson describes as “the black tax”, she sought a higher-paying position at another civil defense litigation firm. But for her, simply making more money wasn’t as fulfilling as navigating through the industry with a greater sense of purpose.

“It was a very, very conservative environment, which is not necessarily suitable for a person like me.” And like clockwork, shortly down the line, Johnson received yet another fateful opportunity. This time from U.S. Magistrate, Judge Willie Epps, Jr.

“He was fairly new on the bench and was looking for a clerk, which is basically the judge’s attorney. They make sure that all of the opinions that a judge issues on any particular topic is good case law, and won’t be turned over by a circuit court of appeals.”

“Working for a [black] Federal Judge that is aware of those cultural sensitivities, knows what it’s like to come from less than fortunate circumstances, to actually be culturally black, AND employ discretion through that lens, was such a beautiful sight to see. And I think that is really truly how we start to balance the scales [in this country].”

This summer, however, marked the end of her year-term as clerk, and what she describes as the most amazing year ever. Now, she’s once again practicing civil defense litigation, representing corporations against plaintiffs lawsuits.

“I’m excited about delving back into this realm, and hopeful for a positive experience. There is diversity at the partnership level at this firm, which I think any institution should strive for if you’re trying to attract quality minority candidates.”

“You have to have a diverse leadership. That is really the only way your diversity and inclusion initiatives carry any weight. Don’t preach to me that you’re focused on diversity, and I’m walking down the hall and i see no black or brown bodies, or Asian bodies, or female bodies! It’s almost insulting at this point in my career for a lot of these places to say that they believe in diversity and inclusion, but have nothing to show for it.”

In her own ongoing effort to impact lives and make a bigger difference; Johnson is apart of The Boys & Girls Club Emerging Leaders Council, she serves on the Teach for America Champions Board, she helps organize Kansas City’s Black Excellence Gala, and she was recently reappointed to the COMBAT Commission by the Jackson County Executive now that her clerkship is over. 

“To be honest, civil defense litigation, while lucrative, was made to keep rich people and corporations rich - which can be hard to get up and get excited about everyday. For this reason, I found time to do work outside of my organization. I found a way to supplement my career.”

“Find a way to supplement your career, or find an avenue within your career that focuses on something other than yourself. When we think about our careers they’re so singularly focused; ‘I have to make partner by 35’, or ‘I have to publish my own book by 40’. But what are our actions doing to impact the community at broad? Until you can find a way within your organization, or outside of your organization, to impact people outside of yourself, then you aren’t going to make a bigger impact.”

“For [example] the COMBAT Commission - which is focused on reducing violent crime, recidivism, and substance abuse in the Jackson County area, I help ensure fair and equal rehabilitation for individuals with cannabis related offenses. Although cannabis isn’t anywhere nearly as addictive as opioids, some people do become addicted.”

“We talk about cannabis in the criminal justice reform context, and I do think its a criminal justice issue. But it’s also a civil rights issue. Because alongside those who need rehabilitation, are those serving time for cannabis related offenses, and we have to figure out a way to reintegrate these people back into society. Especially when the injustice is made more severe by people now capitalizing on the black market that these ‘criminals’ built from the ground-up.”

“I come from a very powerful and innovative people. People who literally built our Nation's capital by calculating the necessary plots of land. This country as a whole would not be as wealthy as it is without our brilliance, and the cannabis industry is yet another arena to have that conversation. We built this, yet now everyone else is able to capitalize on it.”

Although growing in popularity, the conversation about cannabis is still taboo. Yet, Johnson is very candid about her advocacy for the plant, and her intention to ensure equality at different levels of the industry.

“This is why the work I do with COMBAT is so important, because the people who built the cannabis industry, [and are serving time for it] need solid restorative justice programs that give them a solid second chance, because they deserve it.”

“We all know the war on drugs was a war on black people, and that the 1994 Crime Bill was a grave injustice to our community. But I do think that the FIRST STEP Act, implemented under the Trump administration, makes great strides to help try and balance some of the scales. But until the Federal Government legalizes it; there will still be confusion and disjointed laws amongst the states; there will be confusing tax schemes for legal states; and it will continue to be cannabis chaos until the Federal Government recognizes that cannabis doesn’t hurt people.”

“If we’re being brutally honest with ourselves, the addictive to benefit ratio of cannabis is in favor of the benefits...it should be legal. If alcohol is legal, cannabis should be legal. People literally die of alcoholism, and as far as we know no one has died from cannabis.”

“Even from a healthcare perspective, cannabis is a far less expensive means of medication than a lot of prescriptions written these days. It is responsible for some of the most amazing and innovative art, architecture, ingenuity, innovation...the majority of your favorite jazz musicians; Count Basie, Charlie Byrd...they were all high, making this music that ended up being the bedrock of modern contemporary art. Jazz evolved into Rock ‘n’ Roll, that evolved into R&B, and that evolved into hip-hop. Cannabis is literally responsible for our culture in a lot of ways.”