Viola Johnson is a formidable Leatherwoman, visionary activist, captivating speaker, accomplished author, and wife to the first International Ms. Leather (IMsL, 1996), Jill Carter. She is passionately involved with preserving the history of the SM/Leather/Fetish communities, and has stood as a cornerstone of the Leather, BDSM, and kink communities for over four decades. Dubbed “Mama Vi” by scores of Leathermen and Leatherwomen, she has grown into “Grandmom,” “Great-Grandmom,” and now, joyfully, into “Great-Great-Grandmom” to a new wave of kinklings exploring their paths with pride.
Her unwavering belief in the power of our collective story led to the establishment of the Carter-Johnson Leather Library & Collection for which she is the director, owner, founder, Senior Griot, and serves on the Board of Directors. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors for the Leather Hall of Fame, and in past she has served on the Board of Directors of the Leather Archives & Museum. A Lifetime Member of ONYX, Mama Vi is proud to be one of the eight original PEARLS, and a member of ONYX Pearls Mid-Atlantic chapter. She is also a charter member of Tulsa Uniform Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.), and the Lesbian Sex Mafia (LSM).
Vi has received numerous honours for her work. Her voice has graced magazines, newspapers, and anthologies across the decades, Vi has spoken at numerous academic institutions including Bryn Mawr and Barnard Colleges, Orange Coast College, Oklahoma State University and Kean College. She is the 2019 Forebearer Award from Tri-State Leather. The 2018 Leathertarian Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from Pantheon of Leather, the National Leather Association, the first Lifetime Achievement given by Black Beat, and the Palm Springs (CA) Pride Organization “Spirit of Stonewall Award”. Additionally, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) honoured her in 2012 with its Leather Leadership Award at its Creating Change conference in Baltimore. Vi is a 2014 inductee into the Society of Janus Hall of Fame, the recipient of the Pantheon of Leather “Woman of the Year” and Forebear Award, The Legacy Award from Sweat In The City, The Jack Stice Award, The Slave Heart Award from the Master/slave Conference in Washington D.C, The Golden Paintbrush Award at Southwest Leather Conference in Arizona. Viola is the author of two books, Dhampir, Child of the Blood and To Love, To Obey, To Serve. She has written for numerous magazines and newspapers over her almost fifty years in service to her tribe.