Black Men in Freight Leadership: Advocacy, Mentorship, and Career Growth

In this Black History Month special edition of The Journey Podcast, Will Jenkins is joined by Justin Turner and Calvin Blackmon for a conversation that doesn't stay at the surface. They talk about their personal journeys — where they grew up, what got them into freight, and the specific dynamics of building careers as Black professionals in an industry that has historically looked very different from them.

The conversation covers advocacy in professional spaces: what it actually means to advocate for yourself and for others when the room isn't set up to hear it, when to push and when to pick your battles, and how the calculus of those decisions is different for Black professionals in predominantly white industries. They're honest about the moments that required more from them than they should have had to give, and about the people who made a difference.

Justin and Calvin also talk about mentorship — not just as a personal resource but as a professional responsibility. They discuss what it means to create opportunity for people coming up behind them in freight, the specific ways mentorship has shaped their own trajectories, and the ongoing work of building communities inside an industry where representation still has a long way to go.

The episode also gets into parenting in a racially diverse world and the complexity of raising the next generation with clarity about both the challenges they'll face and the possibilities available to them.

For more on Journey's team and values, visit About Us or learn about Journey's freight recruiting for organizations committed to diverse leadership.