Meet John Smith | Corporate Executive, Activist, & Encourager

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what role has risk played in your life or career?
“GOD doesn’t give you a Spirit of fear, but of Love, Power & Self-Discipline.” “You’re more than a conqueror through CHRIST who Strengthens You.” With such assurances given, the only risk is not walking by Faith regarding the plans placed on Your heart. Some of the greatest advice I’ve been given is to “Push the Envelope”. In other words, I was seeking permission to be great instead of just being great.

By GOD’s Grace, I’ve been able to become a corporate executive for a fortune 20 company with responsibility for innovation & new product development nationally. Taking on less desirable projects that no one wanted due to their complexity or delicate political environment was a great accelerator in my career. Before I became a corporate executive, I walked and talked as if in the role. Sometimes people are so concerned about the risk of how they will be perceived more than doing the right thing and speaking truth to power. Walking by Faith is exhilirating and doesn’t feel much like risk taking, but others see it as such when they are standing on the sidelines fearful to enter the game.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The protests in 2020 associated with George Floyd, Breonna Tayler, and Ahmaud Arbery created world-wide awareness about the issue of racism. Millions of all ethnic backgrounds flooded the streets across the globe to have their voices heard that black lives mattered, which was very powerful. However, I questioned what would be accomplished to combat the systemic racism after the streets emptied.

The Abolitionist Pledge (www.TheAbolitionistPledge.com) [TAP] was created to give community people a home & table to generate an Agenda with grassroots solutions to abolish the impacts of racism & racial inequality. We emphasize the “abolish the impacts of racism” in our mission statement, as we consider racism a heart failure condition and we may not be able to convert/change a racist. Nonetheless, we can get at solving for the impacts racism causes. For instance, racism goes beyond police brutality and affects many other areas of life such as healthcare, housing, education, community economics and much more.

Imagine if our communities of color could centralize their purchasing with minority owned businesses & recirculate dollars in the community. We are excited that our first initiative TAP Entrepreneurs addresses generational wealth & community economics. www.TAPEntrepreneurs.com is a NEW multi-vendor marketplace that will showcase products and services of minority, women & ally owned businesses! TAP Entrepreneurs gives minority entrepreneurs a chance to sell in a less crowded marketplace like Amazon or Etsy to conscious consumers seeking to patronize their business. TAP Entrepreneurs is currently offering Free Registration, a $0 monthly subscription and a very, low web administration fee. We are just in the beginning of recruiting entrepreneurs to host their products or services. We have about 30 entrepreneurs, but need much more! Our goal is to cause serious innovative disruption. We want to eventually be the place were 80% of community dollars are spent on Black Fridays! Please, share with entrepreneurs that would benefit and also shop with us to encourage these pioneering first entrepreneurs as we grow this vision.

TAP as a movement has more exciting go-to-market initiatives in the pipeline. We invite everyone that wants to support to plug in and become a fellow abolitionist by taking the pledge! There is no cost. Whether you are a dancer/artist, attorney, physician, writer, educator or have any other given gift, we value your unique talent and welcome you to the table to help create solutions. We’ve grown to 130+ Abolitionist and the table is big enough for you.

The greatest lessons learned were to Be Still, Pray & Fast for Guidance. When things seems overwhelming to address and you’re not sure were to start, it is good to breathe and get clarity this way. Trust your vision. Your passion will give the energy needed. You got this! WE got this! WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Accra, GHANA was an amazing trip this year in January and my first opportunity to set foot on the continent! As a part of the diaspora born in the US, there has always been the fight for justice, equality and belonging. Arriving in Africa was an instant embrace by the people and feeling of peace. Africa is home.

My ten day trip had me land at the Kotoka International Airport. The country’s COVID protocols & customs were very stringent and meticulous, which encourages a traveler regarding health & safety. January is summer season and temperatures were consistently around 85 degrees + perfect for me 🙂 ! I stayed at the Alisa Hotel. I wanted to stay at a location that wasn’t a major US chain hotel. Alisa Hotel Staff were so courteous, especially if you try to learn phrases in a local language called Twi (pronounced “tree”). Most everyone spoke English. If you’re looking for 5 star, think about Kempinksi Hotel. If you’re looking for resort life, consider Labadi Beach Hotel. Alisa was perfect for me for the type of experience I wanted.

Let’s talk places to go! Africa and its many countries have modern cities that rival accommodations around the globe. Modern technology, developed downtown areas, and commerce abound. There are rural places, but it was refreshing to see what I knew existed and not the slanted western media perspective. The Art Market has to be a stop for your souvenirs! [Negotiate good prices and know your exchange rate. For US, it is about 6.2 to 1 for their cedis.] If you want an authentic local shopping experience and your’re not afraid of a bit of congestion, visit the Makola Market. You can find pretty much everything from fresh produce to luggage (which I got)! On a somber note, I visited the Cape Coast slave Castle on the Ivory Coast. It takes about 1.5 hours traveling by car from Accra and is worth the experience to understand the history. I went inside the slave dungeons and personally worked through my range of emotions. One of the tougher parts of the experience was walking on the smooth floors of the dungeons and finding out that it was smooth due to the 1 inch packed down accumulation of the feces, vomit, and illness from enslaved African ancestors. I hope to share more about my overall trip on The Abolitioist Pledge (TAPTV YouTube Channel) so everyone can get a full synopsis of my trip from cost to the slave castle experience. For now, I’d highly recommend this journey. The local food was amazing! I tried FuFu (pounded yams), Grilled Fish, and my favorite was Egusi! Visit the beach at Labadi and eat on the shore. Baku, The Living Room in East Lagon and The Country Kitchen are all restaraunts that will get you right with authentic African cuisine. If you are up for a little adventure & hiking away from city life, visit Shai Hills for a great narrated story about the history on the continent & region. My trip was curated by Studly Auguste and my local guide was from B A Tours Ghana.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
JESUS CHRIST had a life & plight so reminiscent of the African Diaspora, especially for the African man. HE paid it all for me in all innocence. I have nothing without HIM, the FATHER, and HOLY SPIRIT.

To My Parents, I owe a great deal to them for their patience, priority and support of my formal education. As a youth, I was ignorant of the sacrifice & value of the jewel of education presented before me. Glad the seeds they planted in faith & education germenated in their own timing.

To My Wife & Children, I LOVE You All & know the true meaning of Love to be Patient, Kind, Not Self Seeking, and much more!

To www.TheAbolitionistPledge.com & All Abolitionists standing along with me to create an agenda to abolish impacts of racism, signing the pledge is a great encouragement to my heart that we are preparing a better place for generations after us. Our first initative www.TAPEntrepreneurs.com is just the start & I love entrepreneurs that have started this journey with us.

Website: www.TAPEntrepreneurs.com www.theabolitionistpledge.com

Instagram: @tapentrepreneurs @theabolitionistpledge

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC00H7JAJ3-39K5vZsp0LszA