Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has built a career around equity and social investment. Rising from humble beginnings, Johnson’s life has prepared him for the complex realities he now faces as a progressive leader of a major American city. As we prepare to honor him at The Root 100 gala this year, we wanted to take a look at the man who has made national headlines of late for publicly pushing back against President Donald Trump’s administration.
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Anchored in Faith
Born in 1976 in Elgin, Ill., Johnson is one of 10 children in a family led by his father Andrew, a pastor, and his mother Wilma Jean, a hairstylist. The family of 12 shared one bathroom and often opened the doors of their three-bedroom home to other relatives and foster children, according to Chicago Magazine.
Despite limited means, faith anchored the family and eventually led Johnson to meet his wife, Stacie, at a church convention. Today, the couple is raising their own family of five in Chicago, passing on the same sense of belonging and resilience.
Classroom Lessons
Johnson set his sights on teaching, changing course from the expectation that he would become a preacher. He earned two teaching degrees from Aurora University and began teaching in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green public housing neighborhood in 2007. There, and in two other Chicago public schools, the social studies teacher encountered gifted students burdened by poverty, violence and a lack of services.
Union Organizer
Moved by his students’ struggles, Johnson left the classroom to become a Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) organizer. He helped lead the 2012 and 2019 Chicago teachers’ strikes and protested Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s mass school closures, arguing they harmed Black neighborhoods and student outcomes.
Political Emergence
Johnson’s activism led him to become Cook County Commissioner in 2018, where his efforts included fighting for the Just Housing Ordinance to end housing discrimination against people with a criminal history, pushing for reallocation of funds toward community services via the “Budget for Black Lives” campaign and calling for the protection of senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic
City Hall
In 2023, Johnson entered the mayor’s race with CTU and progressive support, running on stronger schools, affordable housing, green jobs, expanded mental-health care and community-driven strategies to curb youth violence.
He scraped by with 52.2 percent of the runoff vote. At 47, Johnson became Chicago’s 57th mayor and its first modern progressive leader. His acceptance speech, marked by a preacher-like cadence, carried clear conviction and optimism.
Budget Battles
Johnson’s 2026 budget plan has been a tough sell. His push to redirect $1 billion in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds to stabilize city finances without raising property taxes has sparked fierce debate. TIF dollars typically fund schools, parks, and libraries.
Critics argue the move could delay projects, jeopardize union jobs, and offer only a temporary fix. Supporters frame it as a necessary reset for long-standing budget gaps.
Big-Ticket Promises
Alongside the budget fight, Johnson has introduced an ambitious policy agenda. Championing the Green Social Housing ordinance requiring 30% of units in new developments to be permanently affordable, he also launched a $1.25 billion investment plan for underfunded neighborhoods and pushed school funding reforms to improve schools and “wraparound services.” Together, these initiatives reflect his long-term strategy to address Chicago’s housing, education and economic inequities.
Labor Tensions
As Johnson settled into office, tensions emerged among Chicago’s powerful unions, particularly the CTU and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. Both helped elect him, but a CTU contract proposal triggered friction, with SEIU expressing concern over potential job impacts. Now “purple” unions fear that they’ll lose their jobs, while the “red-shirted” CTU is the most prominent union cheering for his $16.6 billion budget proposal.
Tensions with Trump
Since taking office, Johnson has drawn sharp criticism from national conservative figures, most notably President Donald Trump. Trump has publicly singled out Johnson’s leadership on crime and city finances as a warning against progressive governance. Johnson has met the opposition with defiance, declaring in one instance that attacks on working people are “terrorism” and he would not “negotiate with terrorists.”
Immigration: The Fight for Humanity
In response to the ICE national immigration crackdown in Chicago, Johnson condemned the targeted raids, stating that President Trump “declared war” on poor people and affirmed the city’s right to defend democracy and humanity.
Johnson has also stood 10 toes down against language and policies targeting immigrants. In response to a reporter’s inquiry about “illegal aliens,” Johnson condemned the use of racist language and asserted that “undocumented individuals” are “ human beings.”
Drop in Shootings and Homicides
In September, Johnson announced that for the first half of 2025, crime data show an approximate 32 % reduction in homicides year‑to‑date, along with sharp declines in shootings and shooting victims.
Youth Violence is an Ongoing Issue
Despite the progress in reducing crime, violence remains a serious problem in many neighborhoods and demonstrates that public‑safety gains are far from complete. As The Root has previously reported, Chicago has seen recent brutal incidents, including gunfire at the city’s tree-lighting ceremony that killed a 14-year-old and injured eight others. Johnson continues to grapple with youth-driven “teen takeovers” – unauthorized gatherings that are leaving residents fearful and frustrated.
Community Response
Johnson remains in an uphill battle in terms of popularity, with criticism including for his $600 million tax plan to “challenge the ultra-rich and corporations to pay their fair share,”. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Johnson’s approval rating was 31% in mid-October, a move in the right direction, considering it was only 26% last summer. With this modest traction, his standing remains too low to secure broad support.
Looking Ahead
Johnson’s public safety vision leans on stability, not force. He’s investing in youth jobs, mental health care, affordable housing, food security, and services for unhoused residents to tackle the root causes of violence. His 2026 budget proposal funds more than 19,000 youth jobs and expands citywide violence-prevention efforts. Rather than curfews or tougher policing, he’s betting that community-led strategies will build safer neighborhoods over time.
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