Wanda Johnson remembers her son Oscar Grant on the five year anniversary of his death

On January 2, 2009 I woke up to a rainy, cold day in the Bay Area feeling slightly sorry for myself. I had made the New Year's resolution of applying a lesson a day from my first book The Journey of Life: 100 Lessons from Around the World to my own life. As I got into my car and drove myself over the bumpy, winding road to get a mocha and contemplate how to implement my second lesson, I heard news on the radio in my car that made my heart feel like it sank into my stomach. I learned that a 22 year old man named Oscar Grant, who was also a daddy, a partner, a son, a grandson, a brother and so much more had been fatally shot by Bart Police Office Johanes Mehserlee.The chilling news made me realize that my problems were frivolous and caused me to make an immediate commitment to do whatever I could to make the world a slightly better place (or at least try).

I had the great pleasure of sitting down with Oscar's mother, Wanda Johnson, as she remembers her son and prepares to acknowledge the five year anniversary of the death of her son. This piece aired on the Women's Magazine on KPFA on December 23, 2013.