She writes and teaches on race and racism, cultural history, and political economy. Her first book, Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity: Music, Race, and Spatial Entitlement in Los Angeles, published by the University of California Press, is a history of civil rights and spatial struggles among Black and Brown freedom seekers and cultural workers in LA. Johnson’s second book, entitled Women in Hip Hop: A Radical Herstory, is under contract with Haymarket Press. Johnson is a Founding Partner of Sol Sisters Rising, a collective dedicated to elevating women of color in film.