Henry Johnson Jr

Henry Johnson Jr 🌍: I uncover the stories they left out.
🛫: Truth-Telling | Travel | Culture He is currently the CEO of Ethno Records.

Henry Johnson Jr is a Liberian-American travel influencer, entrepreneur, artist, author, social activist and filmmaker. He graduated from Colorado Film School (The top 25th film school in the world) and the University of Colorado Denver. In 2017, his short Thai film "Mother's Home" won Best Thai Short and Best Actor awards.

Before I pull the fire alarm in your mind (metaphorically, don’t panic 😅)… let me be clear: I don’t condone violence, no...
09/16/2025

Before I pull the fire alarm in your mind (metaphorically, don’t panic 😅)… let me be clear: I don’t condone violence, nor do I condone hate.
But I do believe America needs to wake up its soul.

Ask yourself: Do we honor flags, parties, and tribes more than we honor compassion, forgiveness, and unity?

Dr. King’s dream called us higher—toward bridges, not walls; toward justice that lifted the least among us. His radicalism was love: radical justice, radical forgiveness, radical unity. He tore down walls to expand the circle of humanity.

Some modern voices today move differently—more radical in tone, more tribal, more “us vs. them.” Their words narrow the circle, pulling America into camps instead of communities. But instead of hating them for it, maybe we should pause and ask: what kind of nation grows when we follow voices that divide, versus voices that unite?

And deeper still: What kind of nation grows when identity is placed at the center, instead of compassion?
What kind of nation grows when voices shout louder than ears willing to listen?

One voice still echoes through history, reminding us of love and justice. The other echoes the fears of our moment. Which will shape tomorrow?

Some lean on faith, others on politics, others on culture. But here’s the reminder: truth is not left-wing or right-wing. It is neither conservative nor progressive. From the very beginning, truth has stood above our divisions. Real hope does not split people to push agendas—it calls us back to our shared humanity.

Let’s focus less on the divide and more on what we owe each other as human beings.
Because dignity is for all—not one race, not one party, not one side.
And above all… the highest calling is LOVE 🖤.

So the real question is not, whose side are we on?
The question is—are we on the side of love?

Unity is not weakness—it is strength.
Progress is not betrayal—it is destiny.

This isn’t destruction. This is truth. And truth only explodes into light when we dare to see each other again—not as enemies, but as neighbors.

If you happened to read this, it is not by accident. Let someone else sit with these words, too.

Ever tried dancing to a drumbeat you don’t understand—but your body just knows what to do? 🥁 That’s West Africa. A place...
09/15/2025

Ever tried dancing to a drumbeat you don’t understand—but your body just knows what to do? 🥁 That’s West Africa. A place where rhythm isn’t just music—it’s history, memory, and identity.

From the Griot storytellers of Mali and Senegal, who carried entire libraries of knowledge in their voices, to the masked dances of Sierra Leone that embodied ancestors, these traditions remind us: culture is not written in books alone—it is performed, sung, and lived.

In Liberia and Guinea, the Poro and Sande societies shaped communities for centuries—teaching values, leadership, and the transition from childhood to adulthood. In Benin, art was not decoration; the bronzes were archives of kings, battles, and sacred power. In Ghana and Ivory Coast, kente and adinkra weren’t “just cloth”—they were symbols, philosophies, entire ways of speaking without words. And in Nigeria, the Yoruba drummers could “talk” across villages with the tension of a drum. Communication through rhythm—long before telephones.

These aren’t “hidden” stories. They’ve always been there, reminding the world that West Africa was never silent—it has been speaking, drumming, carving, weaving, and dancing truths that connect us all.

So next time someone tells you culture comes only from palaces or parliaments, remind them: some of the greatest universities of the human spirit have always been under African skies. 🌍

Ever argue with your daughter about reading books? 📚 She says, “Why read when I can scroll?” Well—over a century ago, a ...
09/15/2025

Ever argue with your daughter about reading books? 📚 She says, “Why read when I can scroll?” Well—over a century ago, a woman was writing books that could change how Black America saw itself.

Her name was Pauline Hopkins. Novelist. Playwright. Historian.

At a time when women’s voices were barely allowed on stage or in print, Hopkins used her pen like a sword. Through novels like Contending Forces, she showed that our stories, our love, and our struggles were worthy of history. She wasn’t just writing fiction—she was writing survival, memory, and pride.

Imagine being a Black woman in the early 1900s—no social media, no platforms—yet she reached thousands, planting seeds of self-worth in readers who had been told their lives didn’t matter.

So, if you have a daughter, niece, or sister, remember Pauline Hopkins. Remind them that a woman with a pen carved out space where none was given.

Her lesson is clear: when women write, they don’t just tell stories—they change the world.

09/15/2025

No matter what you do, someone will hate without knowing your story. Rise above the noise—your light is too bright for their shadows.

Ever thought about speaking a language older than the pyramids?That’s N|uu—spoken for more than 20,000 years by the San ...
09/15/2025

Ever thought about speaking a language older than the pyramids?

That’s N|uu—spoken for more than 20,000 years by the San people of South Africa. Many believed it was gone forever.

But 90-year-old Katrina Esau refused to let it vanish. From her home in the Northern Cape, she gathers children and teaches them the ancient clicks and tones of N|uu. She even published the first N|uu children’s book, !Qhoi n|a Tjhoi.

She’s not just preserving words—she’s preserving memory, culture, and identity. One voice proving that history is never truly lost as long as it’s spoken.

Ever think democracy started in Greece? Samoa’s Fa‘amatai system has been running for centuries — and it’s still alive t...
09/15/2025

Ever think democracy started in Greece? Samoa’s Fa‘amatai system has been running for centuries — and it’s still alive today. 🌺

In Samoa, leaders aren’t crowned with gold; they’re chosen as matai (chiefs) by family consensus. A matai doesn’t get perks — they get responsibility: managing land, guiding disputes, and making sure no one forgets the pig at the feast. 🐖😅

It’s leadership woven with service. A chief without service is like a canoe without paddles — technically floating, but going nowhere. 🚣‍♂️

That’s why the Fa‘amatai isn’t just politics — it’s culture, accountability, and community at its core. A system that proves leadership doesn’t have to be about power, but about people.

Ever notice how some people can turn a kitchen table into a headquarters? 🍽️✍🏿That’s exactly what Robert Sengstacke Abbo...
09/14/2025

Ever notice how some people can turn a kitchen table into a headquarters? 🍽️✍🏿

That’s exactly what Robert Sengstacke Abbott did. With just 25 cents and a vision, he founded the Chicago Defender in 1905—a newspaper that became more than ink on paper. It was a compass for millions.

Through his words, the Defender urged Black families to leave the South and head North during the Great Migration. His paper didn’t just report news—it moved people, reshaped cities, and gave a voice to those America tried to silence.

Robert Abbott proved that one determined mind with a printing press could change the direction of history. His legacy reminds us: power isn’t always held in armies or banks—it can be carried in stories that refuse to be ignored.

09/14/2025

You can’t teach unless you’ve learned; you can’t learn unless you’ve taught.

Imagine if Facebook comments existed in the 1850s—Mary Ann Shadd Cary would’ve been the one dropping truth bombs that ma...
09/14/2025

Imagine if Facebook comments existed in the 1850s—Mary Ann Shadd Cary would’ve been the one dropping truth bombs that made the whole room quiet. 📜

Born in 1823, she wasn’t just “ahead of her time”—she flat out refused to wait for it. When most women were told to sit in silence, she picked up the pen and became the first Black woman publisher in North America. Her paper, The Provincial Freeman, carried headlines that weren’t just ink on paper—they were survival guides, freedom calls, and lessons in dignity.

Mary Ann didn’t ask permission to speak. She understood that silence feeds oppression, but print could break it. Each article was a matchstick against the darkness, teaching her people that their story mattered, their voice mattered, and their future was theirs to claim.

She proved that leadership isn’t about waiting for a seat at the table. Sometimes, you build the table—and then write the menu for the generations to follow.






Ever told a judge joke just to break the tension? Like, “What’s the difference between a judge and God? God doesn’t thin...
09/14/2025

Ever told a judge joke just to break the tension? Like, “What’s the difference between a judge and God? God doesn’t think He’s a judge.” ⚖️😂

Now imagine stepping into court in 1872—when women weren’t even expected to speak up, let alone argue law—and saying, “Your Honor, I’m here to practice.”

That was Charlotte E. Ray.
The first Black woman lawyer in the United States.

She graduated from Howard University and passed the bar at a time when both her race and gender made the legal doors slam shut. But Charlotte didn’t knock politely—she walked in with her degree, her brilliance, and made history answer.

Her story isn’t dusty trivia. It’s a reminder: barriers only exist until someone refuses to be stopped by them.

So next time you hear “firsts” in history—add her name. Charlotte Ray. A woman who redefined what justice could look like.

Ever think a cook might save your life?On December 7, 1941, Doris “Dorie” Miller did just that—on one of America’s darke...
09/13/2025

Ever think a cook might save your life?
On December 7, 1941, Doris “Dorie” Miller did just that—on one of America’s darkest days. A Navy cook, untrained for combat, he rushed toward the smoke and chaos at Pearl Harbor. With no orders and no training, he carried wounded shipmates to safety—and then manned a .50-caliber machine gun, firing back at enemy planes until the ammunition ran out.

For that courage, Miller received the Navy Cross—one of the highest honors of valor. A man who signed up to serve meals ended up serving history.

True power is courage that rises when it’s needed most.






09/13/2025

The truth is, unity often speaks more quietly than division — but its impact reaches far deeper than hate. And the steady act of showing up in love, with grace, is the most powerful impact of all.

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Henry’s Story.

Henry Johnson Jr is a Liberian-born American 🇺🇲️🇱🇷Freelance Writer, Musician, Actor, Filmmaker, World Traveler, Humanitarian, Social Activist, and Producer; he's also a graduate of the Colorado Film School and the University of Denver, Colorado (CU). He's the writer of two well-published books, Liberian Son Vol One and Two. Henry Johnson Jr grew up in Aurora, Colorado, and spend most of his life there, and has traveled the world, from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Germany, Belgium, Japan, The Philippines, Hong Kong, and to Thailand. In early 2013 he founded 1847 Films to help promote Liberia's Film Industry. In 2014, he graduated (Colorado Film School) CFS with an Associate Degree in General Studies of the Arts.

Colorado Film School is one of the top 25th Film Schools in the United States and the world. In early 2017, he founded Ethno Records, an international record and film production company. On May 13th, 2017, he graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with honors (Cum Laude), with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and a minor in Political Science. In November of 2017, a short Thai Film (Mother's Home) that he acted in won the best Thai and Japanese Short and also earned him an award for BEST ACTOR. While in Thailand, he was invited to the Thai parliament to have a sit-in on Thai Tourism and Film Industry. For more info, please contact HJ. 🇺🇲️🇱🇷️️