If you ask John why he has become a community activist and motivational speaker, he will say:
Because I don’t want another Philando to happen again, ever, on this earth. If I could change just one mind at a time by speaking out on injustice and racial equity and racial disparities in the community, if I could stop it by using my voice, that is what I want to do. I want to have conversations with people willing to listen. I am willing to discuss and try to change minds and change hearts. If we can’t talk about race, and if we can’t talk about why Philando was killed, and why racial disparities exist, the injustice will continue, the violence will continue.
This wasn’t my life before Philando was killed. I cared about justice, but I lived a quiet life. Now I feel that Philando has called me and left me with a message. Philando has called out that somebody needs to speak out about what happened to him and why it happened, and I am dedicating my life to doing this. I don’t fully understand this calling; all I can say is that God works in mysterious ways.
