Ethilda (Tillie) Johnson
2006 Gallery of Distinction Inductee
A familiar face at the Hamilton Farmers’ Market, Tillie Johnson has become a powerful voice and community leader. When she arrived in Hamilton from Jamaica in 1968, Caribbean food was not well known and she opened the City’s first West Indian Store. Her entrepreneurial spirit not satisfied, she took a stall at the Hamilton Farmers’ Market, introducing people to tropical fruits, vegetables and products. Tillie is committed to giving others a chance and in 1997 established the Tillie Johnson Scholarship Fund that provides financial assistance to needy African-Caribbean or Caribbean students who want to pursue post-secondary education.
