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Washington, D.C.February 10, 2025
Featured photograph by Kris Graves
When National Geographic Explorer Clinton Johnson views a map, he sees a story. A self-described antiracist geospatial architect and Esri’s first Racial Equity and Social Justice Lead, Johnson uses geographic information system (GIS) technology to put sets of complex mapping data on the same plane, revealing relationships and realities about our world that might be difficult to connect otherwise.
He traces the start of his fascination with GIS as a tool for storytelling to his time working at the Department of Streets in Philadelphia. Surrounded by old city maps delineating roads and pipelines, he thought back to the maps he’d seen as a child in school depicting redlining. “Many cities across the country were segmented, chopped up into pieces, and people made decisions about who could live where, why they could live there, what they had access to. I realized in the same way that maps had been used to create bad situations for folks, we could use maps to create better outcomes.”
As a 2023 Wayfinder Award recipient, Johnson is embarking on a new mapping project: the Empathy Atlas. In its first phase, the Empathy Atlas will focus on telling and fostering empathy around the stories of the Underground Railroad — which guided thousands of enslaved people to freedom in the years before the Civil War — and related Black migrations.
National Geographic Explorer Clinton Johnson talks with Linda Harris, Director of Events and Programming at the Harriet Tubman Museum.
Photograph by Kris Graves
Work for this phase is already underway. Johnson has been traveling across the country, listening to narratives and histories of Black communities, including from descendants of Frederick Douglas and living relatives of Harriet Tubman. He’ll structure these stories into data models and overlay them onto interactive maps, creating a digital journey through time, space and emotion for viewers to follow along and hopefully gain a deeper understanding of Black migration histories. As the platform grows, he’s even thinking about virtual or augmented reality experiences that can transport participants into the shoes of others.
According to Johnson, the issue lies in a current landscape of data storytelling that often marginalizes or entirely omits the lived experiences of Black individuals and communities: “The urgency of this work cannot be overstated. As conversations around racial equity and social justice gain momentum, there is an immediate need for platforms that can authentically represent and amplify marginalized voices.”
National Geographic Explorer Clinton Johnson's work focuses on advancing social justice and equity through GIS mapping technology. Church Creek, Maryland (Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park)
Photograph by Kris Graves
He hopes the Empathy Atlas will address this gap by elevating Black voices and inviting audiences to engage more deeply with Black stories through a data-driven angle. Fast forward to the future, and he envisions the Empathy Atlas as a model for amplifying human experiences across demographics for even broader impact.
To learn more about Johnson’s work at the intersections of geography and social justice, visit www.clintongjohnson.com.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Melissa Zhu is a Content Strategy Coordinator for the National Geographic Society with a love for language's ability to articulate the fullness of human experience. When she's not focused on advancing the nonprofit mission of the Society, you might find her immersed in a good book.
About The National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.
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