We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful J. Christopher Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with J. Christopher below.

J. Christopher, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

But beyond the words, this campaign is also personal. It also stems from a lifetime of living and seeing how so many young people -especially from marginalized communities- were left out of the conversations and decisions that affect their lives. I have seen how often the system failed to support or include us, but I also understood that real change would not happen until those voices were not just invited but at the center of, and elevated in the discussion.

Mobilizing Millennials is my answer to that gap. Building young leaders’ power and capacity, to participate and contribute to social policy design and community priorities. It is about changing the power structure so that decision-making is meaningful, representative and equitable.

This vision motivates all that we do because it is rooted in a belief that justice is not only an idea to debate, but a practice in society. It embodies giving people the tools and support they need to turn their knowledge or passion into activism. For me, the most significant verification that this work matters, is when I see young people step up into their leadership, engage the community, and shift the power structures through policy. This drives my investment into this mission on a daily basis; when the voices of historically marginalized communities are amplified, we all rise together!

J. Christopher, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Of course. I’m J. Christopher and at my core I am a community organizer and advocate for building collective power with young people – particularly those who have historically been pushed to the margins. Founder of Mobilizing Millennials, a movement centered on building momentum collectively for the next generation to step into leadership roles in efforts to create real change within their communities.

I was personally prompted to do this work. Growing up in the South, I saw firsthand how systemic pathways often fail the people the system is designed to serve (e.g. healthcare, housing, education, voting rights). Those experiences ingrained in me that if we wanted to create change, we had to be the ones to do it. I began organizing while in college, and that passion evolved into a purpose I have pursued ever since.

training. One initiative that I’m particularly excited about is the Mobilizing Millennials Training Institute. We provide workshops and experiential training to help young leaders understand how to influence the policies and mobilize their communities. We also have the Mobilizing Millennials Action Network or M-MAN, a space for emerging activists and experienced organizers from all over the country that is allowing us to push issue-based campaigns to fruition (housing equity, healthcare equity, housing justice, LGBTQ+ issues, climate justice, etc.).

At the core of our work, we believe change doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Change happens when people come together with shared values, strategies, and relationships. What makes us different is that we start with an authentic and intersectional approach. Consequentially, we don’t pigeonhole the issues; our lived realities are not single-issue lives. We allow people to show up as their whole selves—and build from there.

What am I most proud of? Watching someone transform from uncertain to unstoppable. Seeing a young person take the mic, speak their truth, and realize the power they possess never gets old. That brings me joy and keeps me going in this work.

More than anything, I want people to understand Mobilizing Millennials isn’t just a group, it’s a movement. A movement that calls for action. If you care about justice, if you care about people, and if you are ready to go from knowing to doing, we have a place for you at the table. Let’s build something real, together.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Support manifests differently for everyone and, trust me, I’ve learned the hard way that sometimes the numbers are not an accurate reflection of the value of the work. This does not mean that what you are doing and what you are building doesn’t matter. It simply means it might be time to pivot—not abandon the work, but shift your strategy, adjust your audience or redefine what success is.

Early in my experience with Mobilizing Millennials, I was doing almost everything alone—visioning, planning, organizing, executing. I remember one event in particular. We hosted a voter registration event at a Black-owned business in Downtown New Orleans. I locked down an amazing venue, personally coordinated catered food and drinks, heavily advertised it and made sure I had thought through every single detail. The business owner was equally excited in hopes that we would bring traffic and sales to their business.

But when the event arrived, maybe four or five people showed up.

It was incredibly disheartening. After all the energy, time, resources, money and hope that I had put into making this event a success, the output was a gut punch to say the least. I can vividly recall standing in that space—fun music filling the air, food not eaten, mostly empty chairs—in feeling discouraged and obviously questioning all of it and whether it was even worth it in the end.

But then I paused and reminded myself: this isn’t failure. This is data; this is feedback. And it’s time to pivot.

Instead of pouring any more of myself into local work that wasn’t going to have the impact, or the engagement, I wanted, I let go. Instead, I focused! I embraced national-level organizing, coalition building, and leadership development. I focused my energy on our training and capacity-building work – and doors started to open. I got invited into national fellowships; I began leading workshops at conferences all across the country; I began to receive grants so that we could expand our work.

That pivot didn’t just save Mobilizing Millennials but helped it evolve.

What I know now is this: sometimes your mission doesn’t need to shift, but your method, all the time, will mature. And sometimes, your targeted audience is bigger than the box you are thinking about. You just have to be willing to pivot, trust that your purpose will guide you, and continue to show up.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that I need to have everything figured out to take action. When I started Mobilizing Millennials I believed every step had to be planned perfectly, every detail needed to be anticipated, and every possible obstacle mapped out before I could take the first step. I wanted to be “ready” before launching a project or making a big ask. This thinking couldn’t hold me back more than it helped.

The context here comes from those first few years building Mobilizing Millennials. I spent so much time planning events, building partnerships, and trying to control every variable instead of taking action. I would wait for the “perfect” time to implement or the “right” team, which often led me to miss opportunities because that time never came. I created a kind of paralysis.

One day, after many months of planning and prep, a major event I was organizing needed to pivot quickly because of last-minute changes. Instead of canceling the event or postponing it, I leaned into the chaos and embraced the imperfection. I recognized that showing up and being present imperfectly meant more than not showing up at all. That event ended up being a special experience for people—not because it was perfect but because it happened and people interacted with the message.

Starting then, I began to embrace more of what I refer to as “strategic improvisation.” I was learning to trust in my own ability to adapt, to adjust course as I went, and to focus on the momentum over the perfection. That lesson has changed my life, not just in terms of how I organize, but how I lead and motivate others. When you’re waiting to be “ready,” you’re often waiting too long. The work requires you to start where you are, with what you have, and trust the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jchristopherjohnson.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jcjforla
• Facebook: facebook,com/jcjohnson
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/j-christopherjohnson
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcjforla
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mobilizingmillennials

Image Credits

Mobilizing Millennials
MassCOSH