We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Devin Perkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Devin , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Recently I took the risk of moving to the Atlanta area after being in the DMV for 29 years. I moved to be closer to the network of people I work with now and it has been life changing experience for the betterment of my future. I’m closer to my mentors and opportunities that come with working in a closer proximity. Second to becoming a Christian, It was the best decision I’ve made in my life

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My Outreach Program Kids To Kings is a project I launched approximately 3 years ago. Originally I was a podcast host who mainly focused on the Gun Industry & Second Amendment Community. While at one of the largest expos in the country, I met my now good friend Michael Sodini who had just launched a Mental Health organization that would focused on finding solutions for individuals who were struggling without violating their Human & Constitutional Rights. As we discussed some of the other causes of death by firearms, he informed me that 2/3 of them are from suicide and that the homicide & suicide are Two of the top three cuases of death for Black males between the ages of 1-25. From there Mike gave me information about the studies of Complex Truama/CPTSD and I realized this is the information needed to produce relevant & effective solutions for Black boys & young black men. We began by doing presentations on the information at the beginning of my good friend Maj Toures Black Guns Matter classes that he held throughout the country and it was well received by everyone we spoke to about so we knew we were onto something. Currently we are working a group of 13 boys through a local organization in Atlanta and it’s been going well. We’re seeing the boys understand that they have value and that it’s OK to process their feelings and deal with them properly.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think a big misconception about Activism & Outreach is that you can become rich or famous. While their are notable Activist that are largely known through out our history but the majority of them died not have much monetarily. So not just myself, but anyone who is sacrificing their own financial gains for the betterment of their community and next generation should be highlighted. I say that because without the examples set for me by my mentors (Kevin Dixie, Maj Toure, Ken Scott, & Rev. Kenn Blanchard) I wouldn’t be able to have the resilience I’ve developed now.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

100% YES! There has always been something in me that wanted to ensure my occupation and life was meaningful and impactful. Right now I can say I’m on the right path to achieving that goal

Contact Info:

• Website: walkthetalkamerica.org/kids-to-kings
• Instagram: kidstokings

Image Credits
Jeloni Moore