Alijah Johnson chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing New Jersey in the 2025 Mr. America Global competition. He sat down with this journalist at Joanne Trattoria in the Upper West Side of New York City.
On being at Joanne Trattoria in Manhattan, he said, “It’s an amazing experience to be here. I had an amazing dinner… I had a cheese pizza, and half of a burger (it was a huge burger; probably one of the biggest I had seen in a while). The fries are excellent too. Everything was great too.”
Mr. America Global
“I am so excited about Mr. America Global,” he admitted. “I will be representing the great state of New Jersey; I was born there and that is where my family is from.”
“It’ll be a full-circle moment for me even though I am a firefight now in Virginia, and that’s where I live at,” he noted.
“This is something I have never done before. This was something I wasn’t really expecting but I am looking forward to this forthcoming life-changing experience. I think this will help me improve to be a better person overall.”
“The experience of Mr. America Global will definitely help me become a better version of myself,” he added.
Advocacy for the competition
On his advocacy for the competition, he said, “I am really an advocate for men’s mental health. Men need to have a space to express the things that they are going through and have that safe space. This is something that needs more attention.”
“As men, we are raised to not be in tune with our emotions and that can wreak havoc on a lot of things and a lot of areas in our lives. So, I want to become a bigger advocate for men’s mental health,” he elaborated.
“I am also a mentor and a coach for young men to help them improve their lives as well. Being a leader, you want to help other people not go through the same mistakes that you’ve been through,” he added.
Why he should win Mr. America Global
When asked why he should win Mr. America Global, he responded, “I feel I should win Mr. America Global because I just want to show what it is to be an audacious person… not following trends and being your own person.”
“Also, showing that being yourself is the most powerful thing that you can do in this world, and it’s also the hardest thing that you can do in this world. I feel it’s up to everybody to find their own unique path and pave that path for other people and become a trailblazer,” he elaborated.
Australian Firefighters Calendar
On being a part of the Australian Firefighters Calendar, he recalled, “That was still such an amazing experience, and still a highlight of my life. I will remember that day until the day that I die. That was one of the biggest life-changing moments that I’ve had. I became a local celebrity at one point as a result, where random people would come up to me at Walmart.”
“It was amazing for that calendar to get the global media coverage that it did, and to make history as the first African-American firefighter on that calendar. It is always an honor to hold that title. It was definitely a brotherhood and something that will last a lifetime,” he added.
Closing thoughts on Mr. America Global
Johnson remarked, “Always strive to be better! I’m a firefighter but I have a lot of passions and they all center around one purpose to always evolve and always be a better version of yourself. Mr. America Global is going to be another avenue for me, and it is going to be another goal for me to try and accomplish, and a title I will try to obtain.”
“Just always strive to better,” he underscored. “It is nice to see things come full-circle… with the Australian Firefighters Calendar, the modeling, being a firefighter, and now with Mr. America Global, it is going to be me being an advocate for young men and being a role model for them.”
To learn more about Alijah Johnson, follow him on Instagram.
