“Attempt big things. Always be yourself. Do not fear failure. Our failures are stepping-stones for growth. Let your enthusiasms guide you through life; and, with a little luck, you will have a wonderful time and make a difference in the world.”
— J. Blanton Belk

As a student, it seems that at least once a year I am bombarded with the essay question “Who in your life has been an inspiration?” This is one of the few topics that I have never even had to brainstorm; I always know exactly who I am going to write about: my grandfather.

I don’t call him “Grandfather” or even “Grandpa,” though. When I was born, he decided, at 72, that he was too young to be called “Grandpa”; so, the name JB came about (initials for his name: John Blanton). JB is now 89, but he is one of the youngest people that I know. He is such an incredible inspiration to me since he has lived and continues to live each moment of his life to its absolute fullest.

In 1965, JB founded Up With People, an organization that draws young people together from across the globe; they travel around the world to impact and perform for the communities they encounter. Up With People has performed during four NFL Super Bowl half-time shows, was the first international group to go to China after the fall of the Bamboo Curtain, and, among other things, has performed for both popes and presidents.

Recently, I was able to talk to JB about his experiences as the founder and long time leader of Up With People.

Me: What made you first want to start Up With People?

JB: Two things came together. One, my father had always said to me, “Find something in life where you can make a difference in the world.” Second thing was the explosion of youth all over the world, where the baby boomers of the Second World War had gone boom. They were demonstrating from universities in Berkley to the Sorbonne in France to San Marcos in Peru and Stellenbosch in South Africa. In the U.S.A., they were against the Vietnam War, but they were for civil rights. The feeling in the U.S.A., however, was “How quickly can we put these kids down and shut them up?” I got together with a group of my friends and said, “Why don’t we give them a voice to say what they are for and not just what they are against?” So we had a summer conference, and it was a happening.

Over a thousand students came and brought their guitars and banjos since music was the way this generation communicated. And, to make a long story short, after the summer conference, they had put together their expression, their demonstration of what they were for. We took them to Cape Cod. They found an old boat and made it like a show boat; and, people flocked to see the show. A group of senators, including the Kennedy family, said to us after one of the performances, “Come to D.C., and we will sponsor a big public show before you end the summer conference.” So we did, and 72 congressmen and senators from both parties sponsored the show in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel on Connecticut Avenue. Five-thousand people came. After the performance, with a standing ovation, I was invited back to meet with the 90 students, and they said to me, “Mr. Belk, we’ve got something going. Did you see Senator Fulbright, Democrat from Arkansas, sitting next to Senator Goldwater, Republican from Arizona, leading the standing ovation? If we can bring people like that together, perhaps we can encourage peace through understanding.” So we went on the road.

Me: If you had to choose, what is your proudest moment from Up With People?

JB: Many proud moments. Being the first international student group invited to the People’s Republic of China when the Bamboo Curtain came down. The same in the Soviet Union when the Iron Curtain fell. But, one specific moment was when the great Jesse Owens — the number one athlete of the twentieth century, and a black man, on our board of directors, who had won four gold metals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin in front of Adolf Hitler — arranged for a cast of Up With People to perform in the Olympic Village at the Munich Olympics in 1972 after the Israeli team had been murdered by the terrorists. After two performances with the athletes, Stephen Baranski, the mayor of the Olympic Village, went to visit Chancellor Willy Brandt and said, “We owe a vote of thanks to Jesse Owens and Up With People for bringing a sense of unity back to the athletes after this tragedy.”

Me: Who in your life has been an inspiration?

JB: My father. They say that values are caught before they are taught, and I picked up my values from observing my father, especially the way he treated people. Everyone to my father was a valued personality, whether it be a governor, the man who delivered milk, or the man he hunted with. All were treated equally. He also had a golden touch for friendship, and we would have never had Up With People unless I had caught some of that and been able to make the friends I did worldwide.

Me: Why do you think that Up With People is just as relevant in today’s world as it was in the sixties?

JB: I think if we think in terms of a force that can bring understanding between races, classes, and nations, I’ve got to say that Up With People, which represent this, is more needed today than when we started in the sixties. I think, also, the need for young people to become global citizens [can be accomplished by making] friends of their age around the world. We offer that, and I am amazed today at the letters that come in from alumni — and there are now 21,000 from 108 countries — saying what the experience has motivated them to do with their lives.

Me: Anything else you would like to add?

JB: Keep in mind that I had been a naval officer in the Second World War and served on a PC boat in the Philippines where the oldest person aboard was 25. And thinking of the battle of Britain, most of the RAF flyers who saved Britain had just turned 20. It showed the power of the young world, and, in many ways, that element went forward to the sixties to the youth of the world who eagerly gave of themselves to make a more peaceful world.

 

If you are between the ages of 18 and 29, you can go to Up With People for more information on how to join. If you are between the ages of 13 and 17, you might be interested in Camp Up With People.  Speaking from personal experience, I can highly recommend it!