Jermaine Johnson is a lifelong Worcester resident and graduate of the Worcester Public School system. Jermaine was raised by a single mother, who raised him and his brother to be respectful, strong-willed, and hardworking young men. She always taught him if he wanted change then he needed to speak up. Jermaine grew up attending the Ionic Ave Boys Club where he learned valuable lessons through counselors, mentors and coaches who were all very influential in helping him become who he is today.

As a 14 year-old freshman at South High School in 1989, Jermaine was faced with a traumatic life changing incident when his cousin, Gerome Johnson, was murdered in the hallway at school.

He was faced with the fear of whether or not school was right for him and if he could ever walk the halls of South High again and feel safe. When Jermaine was ready to give up, it was his mother, his English teacher, and his basketball coach who wouldn’t give up on him. He always says without them, he would not be where he is today.

Since then, Jermaine has dedicated his life to Worcester’s young people. His lifetime of public service ranges from being a social worker fighting for safer Worcester Public Schools to mentoring young people as a coach.

As a champion for school safety, Jermaine served as the Liaison with the Worcester Public Schools from 2009 through 2019, attending protocol meetings joining with school personnel, police, and the Juvenile Court System. He has coached basketball at South High School and St. Paul Diocesan Jr/ Sr. High School and is currently a youth baseball coach for Jesse Burkett and youth football coach for the Worcester Vikings.

As a Union Member for SEIU Local 509 and a Chief Steward in his office, Jermaine fights for working people every day. He is a big proponent of workers’ rights, safe work conditions, and supporting fair and equitable wages.

In 2021, Jermaine ran for office for the first time and was elected as the first Black man to serve on the Worcester School Committee, receiving the most votes of anyone on the ticket. Since then, Jermaine was also elected to serve as Vice Chair of the School Committee, and has spearheaded initiatives to make our schools healthy and increase sustainability.

He lives with his wife of 18 years, Michelle, and two children, Jordyn, age 14, and Marcus, age 10, who are both proud Worcester public school students.