John Filson
Meet People
Outside Your World
I’m John. I visit communities most of us never get to know, ask the questions that can feel awkward to ask, and bring you along through my videos.
I believe the walls between our worlds are mostly artificial. When we get a real glimpse of someone else’s life, we find out how close we actually are.
Watch:
Latest
My first visit to a Sikh temple
Who are Sikhs? What do they believe? Why do they wear turbans? I wanted to learn, but I never expected this...
Playlists
How I started: Supporting Iraqis
Videos that went viral in Iraq in 2019, telling Americans about Iraqi protesters.
Learning from
Black neighbors
TikTok playlist. What I found when I started looking for my blind spots on race.
Refugees in America
Seven-part YouTube series: One special family is writing a new story in the US...
if they can stay together.
About me
I’ve worked on social conflicts for 20 years. I was a relief worker in Iraq during the war, where I learned Arabic in the kitchen of a Chaldean seminary from the women who cooked all day. I’ve lived with communities in Central America trying to feed their families, mentored homeless teenagers in Hollywood, run advocacy programs in Washington, and taught peacebuilding to college students. I have a Master's in Peace Studies from Notre Dame. I speak Spanish and Iraqi Arabic.
These years taught me how to earn trust with people who have every reason to be guarded, and how to listen before I judge. I try to bring respect and curiosity to every conversation, on and off camera.
