Ella Elizabeth Johnson Rice

Born December 28, 1922 in Macon, Georgia, Ella Elizabeth Johnson Rice was the fourth child of Herschel Leon Johnson and Bertha Thomas Johnson. Ella was the last survivor of her nuclear family that included her parents and her siblings, Herschel, Jr., Rhunetta, Thelma, and Marzella. Segregation was oppressive in the Jim Crow South, but Ella was nurtured and sustained by a strong family and a strong AME centered faith. Family expectations included unconditional love, hard work and responsibility, education, mutual respect, and gratitude. These ideals became hallmarks of Ella’s life.

In 1927, the Johnson family moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where Ella came of age. She was always delighted to be with family and friends. She recalled plays and talent shows in grade school; learning to swim at summer camp with her sisters; making and flying kites with her brother; dancing at parties in high school; and especially Sunday dinners at home. (On Sundays, the entire family was expected to eat breakfast and dinner together.) Ella graduated from Birmingham’s Industrial High School (now A. H. Parker H.S.) in 1937. She had always dreamed of college, but college was a difficult financial step. However, due to the resourcefulness of her family, especially of her brother Herschel, Jr., and her minister, she was able to register at The State Teachers College at Montgomery, Alabama.

In college, Ella’s love of people continued. She realized her special affection for children when she worked part time in the college nursery. Her commitment to community service was sparked and enhanced when she was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Beta Eta Chapter, on May 17, 1941 at what is now known as Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. An old college scrapbook chronicles memories of college life in Bibb Graves Hall for Women, “The place we gave our Matron and Dean of Women so much trouble”, she wrote; and a copy of her invitation to the 1937 Omega-Delta Tea and Freshman Jamboree in Tullibody Auditorium. She continued to love to dance, learning to tap dance and becoming a majorette. During a summer school session following her sophomore year, she met her future husband, William S. Rice, Jr. She graduated from Alabama State College in 1941 with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. She began teaching in the Birmingham Public Schools in 1942.

On Christmas Day, 1944, in Birmingham, Ella married Lt. William S. Rice, Jr., United States Army Air Corp. In 1946, after Bill’s separation from military service, the couple moved to Washington, D.C. Their only child, William, III (Billy), was born in 1947. Ella took leave from work and spent three years caring for Billy full time.

Finding a teaching position in the segregated D.C. Public Schools was difficult in 1950, so Ella took a clerical job at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for two years. In 1952, she secured a position in the black Prince Georges County School System, teaching first, second, and third grades in a two-room school house at Rosaryville and Holly Grove Elementary Schools.

In 1954, the Supreme Court Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision required that D.C. Public Schools desegregate. After passing a new and rigorous examination for all teachers in the D.C. System, Ella was licensed to teach in the newly integrated schools. The first step in the desegregation process was to integrate the school faculties. In September 1954, Ella was assigned as the first Negro teacher in the District of Columbia Public Schools to teach in a school with all white students and, except for her, an all-white faculty as well. For two years, she taught third grade at the Henry Draper Elementary School in Southeast Washington. Reflecting on the experience years later, Ella said that she never doubted her ability as a teacher, and after “proving” herself to students, parents, and colleagues, things went reasonably well. She was proud to have had a small role in the ongoing struggle for social justice. Her next several years teaching were spent at Lucy D. Slowe and Crosby S. Noyes Elementary Schools. Coincidentally her daughter-in-law would begin her teaching career at Slowe School 30 years later. In 1964, Ella received the master of arts degree in counseling from New York University. She served as guidance counselor at Langdon Elementary School until her retirement in 1979.

Retirement for Ella and Bill included time spent with their family and friends, their church (Simpson-Hamline United Methodist), and traveling. They traveled across the continental United States, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Europe, and Russia. Ella was an avid gardener and enjoyed her own greenhouse. She spent many peaceful hours working in her garden, sharing plants and cuttings with neighbors and friends.

In 1991, Ella’s beloved husband Bill passed away. She briefly considered moving back to Birmingham to be with her sisters but decided quickly to stay in Washington close to Billy and his family. She joined Billy’s family for weekend and Sunday gatherings, holiday and birthday celebrations, and school and church activities. David, Alexis, and Rahima spent weekends with their grandma, enjoying hikes through Rock Creek Park, visiting the Nature Center, horseback riding at the Rock Creek stables and attending Vacation Bible School.

Every year, Ella looked forward to the five Wednesday Lenten services sponsored by the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. Each service was followed by a community lunch. At one of these luncheons in 1996, she met Dr. Isaiah Burton, a retired pharmacist. She and Dr. Burton were close friends and companions until his death in 2005.

Ella was a 75-year member of the Methodist Episcopal and United Methodist churches, over 40 years of which were at Simpson-Hamline. During her active years at Simpson-Hamline, she was proud to have served as a worship liturgist; chair of the Commission on Education; director of the Vacation Bible School; chair of the Commission on Stewardship; organizer of the United Methodist Women Brightwood School Tutorial Program; president of the Outreach Club; member of the Willing Workers; and member of the Pastor Parish Relations Committee.

She was a member of the Washington DC Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for many years. She volunteered with the Delta Literacy Council and the Whitter Tutorial Program. She received her 50-year membership plaque during this time. She later transferred her membership to the Federal City Alumnae Chapter to be with her daughter-in-law Shebbie Rice and granddaughter Alexis Sudah. She received her 75-year membership plaque from the Federal City Alumnae Chapter.

Though her final years were affected by symptoms of dementia, Ella Elizabeth Johnson Rice had an extraordinary life. She loved her family unconditionally. She remained emotionally and physically tough; was always upbeat; and never complained. She passed away at Howard University Hospital on May 27, 2021.

Ella leaves grateful family and friends to remember and honor her. Family include: son, William S. Rice, III and Daughter-In-Law Shebbie Robinson Rice of Washington, D.C; grandson, Dr. David Wall Rice (Mikki Harris) of Atlanta, Georgia; granddaughters Alexis Rice Sudah (Sundiata), and Rahima Robinson Rice of Washington, D.C; great grandsons, Damar Sarter of Wichita, Kansas, Raymond Rice of Washington, D.C., Biko Harris Rice and Stokely Harris Rice, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Nazam Sundiata Sudah of Washington, D.C; great granddaughters, Chanel Sarter of Los Angeles, California, and Ella Vonne Robinson Rice of Washington, D.C; nephews Herschel L. Johnson, III of Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Phillip L. Rice, Jr., of Needham, Massachusetts, and Dr. Norman Rice of Dallas, Texas; nieces Alicia Renae Sharpe of Birmingham, Alabama, Carolyn LaMay Smith George of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Constance (Connie) Rice, Esq, and Brenda Sue Rice Wright of Pasadena, California; grand-nieces Reverend LaChaune Nicole (Nikki) Slater, Floryce Marie Johnson of Birmingham, Alabama, Kamaria Sharifa George of Atlanta, Georgia, and Karimah Salihah George Jones (Hugh Jones) of Rock Hill, South Carolina; grand-nephews, Herschel L. Johnson, IV, Anthony Johnson, and Walter Lee (Trey) Sharpe, III of Birmingham, Alabama; and sister-in-law Anna Barnes Rice of Pasadena, California.