Rising Stars: Meet Mr. John Jihan Banks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mr. John Jihan Banks.

Hi John, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After my overseas deployment and discharge from the United States Marine Corps, serving as military police, I originally started work with law enforcement agencies but did not feel it was the best fit for me as the civilian aspect of policing did not coincide with my core values of dignity, respect, and decency for all people. My father recognized my difficulties with coping from the trauma of transitioning from service and knew my troubles with finding a place to utilize all the military skills learned when it came to dealing with people with compassion more than combat. As Senior Pastor in the United Methodist church, my father founded a Non-Profit, Genesis Project Ministries of Florida INC, and I was employed as Vice President of Operations. I focused on community initiatives, health fairs, and food distribution in low-income communities.

Dr. April Johnson and I met in San Antonio, Texas at Lackland Airforce Base in 1994 while training in military police school. Her Air Force intelligence and my Marine Corps practicality seemed to coordinate well, and we knew a special connection was established that had a mission to serve others in need. During my overseas deployment, we lost touch and continued our military carriers, never knowing what happened to each other. To my surprise, I received a call in 2020 from Dr. Johnson, who found me on social media. We reconnected with the same love for each other and inspiration to work together in the community. Her focus on social work, mental health, and nutrition with my understanding of the disparity in the marginalized population along with program development, coincided to complete our shared mission to help people. In 2021, Dr. Johnson founded Genesis Hope INC to serve the Inland Empire. Today our partnership serves many California and Florida low-income communities and there is no question that when God has a plan for people to serve others, nothing can stop it.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The hardest part of our journey was finding resources in the Inland Empire for food distribution as many different organizations did not seem enthusiastic to serve these areas. There were also difficulties with conducting events to promote our services as many did not want to attract the homeless or in need populations to their locations or for our programs to be conducted to address these issues made available to the general public.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Along with non-profit work, I am an author and have written a series of self-published fiction books. Lives of Our Fathers, Mr. Fondle’s Diary, and Days Of Peaches all found on Amazon Books. I think the most important part of my work addresses the inequity of humanity. The battle to gain a shared understanding that the responsibility to establish a cohesive society free of tyranny or oppression relies on each individual to demonstrate dignity and decency towards others.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Our goal is to conduct more workshops to address food insecurity, mental and physical health along with social aspects confronting our communities and utilize grants to pursue these events.

Contact Info:

• Website: GenesisHopeInc.org
• Other: Amazonbooks.com

Image Credits
John Jihan Banks, April CE Johnson