Jovan "Small Wonder" Martin

When I was in school I was bullied due to my height and frequently told that I would never amount to anything. I was kicked off of the football team due to my size and told that I should not play sports. I was bullied so severely that I could not walk the halls or eat in the cafeteria without having things thrown at me. I would eventually get into trouble and start getting into fights on purpose, so that I would be sent home. After being transferred to another school and getting a fresh start I was encouraged to join the wrestling team. Determined to prove to everyone that I could be strong and successful, I trained every morning and night until I won a State Championship. I was featured on a cereal box, and given the nickname "small wonder" by my classmates. To this very day, a poster of myself and the wrestling team hangs in the school's gymnasium.

Diagnosed with clinical depression, social anxiety disorder, and a chemical imbalance in the brain, I struggled with college & maintaining a job. I wound up homeless as an adult. At this point, I felt like throwing in the towel. I slept at truck stops, Walmart parking lots, and often received aid from Crisis Assistance Ministry. I would wake up at 4am in the morning and wait in line for a chance to get food at a homeless shelter. I still remember washing myself in gas station bathrooms and sneaking into laundromats to wash my clothes. There were days where I would just ride the bus all day with no destination or just read books at the library for several hours, just to distract myself.

 I had to find some kind of way to get out of this situation and motivate myself to keep pushing. I decided to make a shirt that read...."Believe in Small Wonder." It was just a basic white shirt with red letters, but I would wear it every day as a reminder to myself that I cannot give up. What I did not know, is that this would end up being the start of something that could possibly motivate and inspire others. With help from family & friends, I was finally able to get off of the streets and begin the process of rebuilding myself.

Being an individual who has always struggled with confidence and image issues, I decided to make a shirt that read "Short Lives Matter" and wear it to an event called HeroesCon 2017. I did not think too much of it, but as I entered the building people started complimenting me and asking questions. People would laugh & smile, people who would typically avoid me. There are no words that can describe how good this made me feel. For a brief moment I had become socially acceptable without stigma. A shirt with just three words had opened doors that had been locked for my entire life.

At GalaxyCon 2019 I was invited to speak in front of a crowd of thousands of people. I declared victory over my critics and doubters. I stood in front of the crowd and infamously yelled.....because these fools can't beat us! I sold every shirt I had within an hour. I managed to take all of the negative things that people have said about me and turn them into something positive. This became the inspiration behind Sta2ure, Short Lives Matter, & The Rise Above Labels Project.