Name: John A Lopez

Social Media Handle/Username: Twitter @johnny25lopez Instagram @johnnylopez25

Introduce Yourself/Tell About Yourself: My name is john Anthony lopez, born and raised in the DFW area In texas. I was the first grandchild in my family to be a born citizen. I’m the youngest of 3, the only boy, & my eldest sister lived in Mexico since she’s my half sister from my dad. A fun fact is that my mom jumped the border after she has an unnecessary c-section from my sister so she’s one of the strongest women I know even tho she’s tiny and thin. I’m 20 years old and I work with my dad in his family company doing leak detections and repairs on pools but my goal it to become an EMT.

What Inspires You Every day? : Music and the plight of the people especially when the mix together like Paper planes by MIA, Good ole boys club by Kacey Musgraves, Nappy heads by The fugees, Just a kid by princess Nokia. Songs of struggle not only against personal issues but establishments with oppressive immoral practices. At the end, my true inspiration is the people of this world who aren’t being heard. whoever they are wherever they’re from.

What is some words of wisdom you live by?: Treat others how you would like to get treated & to be humble about your knowledge especially when ur getting information from corporate media since they are very much biased.

What is your ultimate goal in life? : To see a stable planet with strong United working class in all nations.

How have you been during the pandemic and how has it affected you? : I’ve been good but I did lose my great grandmother and a uncle. But it was my great grandmother getting till that inspired me to pursue a career as an EMT. I also learn a thing about funerals and how they bring the family together not just to mourn but to reconnect and have new moments to remember them. Especially for the younger generation, I was able to see my cousins from Ohio Kentucky and Las Vegas along with some from Mexico when we went to bury my great grandmother.

What is a message you would like to give others? : In order to debate someone it’s vital to fully comprehend where the other party is coming from. Whether they’re in the wrong or not it’s important to empathize with them & understand their experience in order to have a strong defense of ur point and to hopefully point out the flaws in their thinking. Empathy isn’t just useful for debates, it’s an important human trait made to build strong communities and connections. Listen to both sides of an argument, don’t be afraid to ask questions and avoid being a sheep in the herd.

What else would you like to tell others about you or your life?: I grew up gay & the only obstacle with that was being ostracized as a kid and feeling isolated even tho my sister was bi but she neglected to tell me until I was 13 and she was 14 turning 15. Even tho I tried to hide it as a kid I was noticeably gay which made my parents denial of it very awkward for me once I finally told my dad this January. I had already told my mom about it in 2015. I think coming out is very important not just to be the representation that I wish I had a kid but to break down stereotypes of what a queer person is.