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Adele Johnson at home in Rocketts Landing. An abstract painting by Virginia artist Norman Wyatt keeps Johnson’s imagination active. “I make up my own story every day. I love looking at it,” she says.
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Johnson’s love for her husband of nine years, Billy Cooper, leads her to pull out a photo book of their wedding and name it as one of her favorite things.
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A metallic silver urn with faces that meet at the top tells another story of family continuity. For Johnson, the faces represent past, present and future, like shared DNA.
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At the center of the living room is an expansive textured table from Restoration Hardware that is both contemporary and modern. “That’s who I try to be,” she says.
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In the foyer, a work made of broken glass assembled into a form by Virginia artist Stacy Brown hangs on a wood lattice support.
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Two small dolls stand together on a bookshelf. While Johnson doesn’t collect dolls, these two — gifts from her daughter — are special.
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Throw pillows are tossed casually on matching oversized chairs and a sofa in the living room. Johnson loves them for their comfort and the African flavor of the fabric.
After living for 15 years in Brandermill, a planned community in Chesterfield County, Adele Johnson and her husband, Billy Cooper, were ready for a change. “He’s a city guy,” Johnson says of Cooper, a Richmond native. So, a year ago, the couple left their lake view behind and moved to one of Richmond’s newest semi-urban neighborhoods, Rocketts Landing, which is a stone’s throw from the James River just east of town.
“I’d been looking at Rocketts Landing for a number of years,” Johnson says, and she’s happy with their decision. Purchasing their home before it was built gave them the opportunity to customize and get things just right. They’ve got five floors — a man-cave basement, first-floor living room and kitchen, two floors of bedrooms and a rooftop deck with views in every direction. Plus, there’s an elevator for convenience. And it’s just a quick drive to Johnson’s new gig as executive director of Richmond’s Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia.
On and off the job, Johnson’s passions for family and stories of the past have converged. “My dad was a history buff, very well-read and well-traveled,” she says. “My mom was the family storyteller, always talking about ancestors and getting everyone together. So, I had an appreciation for memories and culture. I feel like this is the right time, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
At the museum, she says, “We have the responsibility to tell stories about African-Americans who’ve done great things. It’s an honor to walk in the building every day and know that we could have an impact on someone.” She cites well-known luminaries like Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who tap danced around the world but paid for a stoplight in Jackson Ward to keep children safe as they crossed the street. And she mentions lesser-known but important people such as Mary Davidson, who invented the toilet-tissue holder. Sharing the stories of these African-American Richmonders of the past is part of making that impact, especially with school visitors. “They learn that you can find a problem and come up with a solution,” Johnson says. “You, too, can be an inventor.”
At home, Johnson and Cooper relish the chance to spend time together in the calm of their living room and kitchen, which feature plenty of places to sit and sip a glass of wine after work. Visits are welcome from their children and five grandchildren, as well as from Cooper’s mother, who has the second floor all to herself. Just like at the museum, legacies are passed on through objects that tell stories of the past and inform the future of their family.
