A Navajo Nation flag on his shoulders, he skates the long road toward Shiprock
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Skateboarder Jalen John leans into a long push along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 160, a Navajo Nation flag spread across his shoulders as traffic moves in the distance on Jan. 30, 2026.
TUBA CITY
The skateboard wheels hum against the asphalt of U.S. Highway 160 as Jalen John pushes east toward Shiprock, a Navajo Nation flag billowing from his shoulders in the high desert wind.
It’s just after 6 a.m., and the 23-year-old has already left Tuba City Chapter behind. Ahead of him stretches miles of open road, the kind that chews up skateboard wheels and tests resolve.
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Skateboarder Jalen John rides along U.S. Highway 160 between mileposts 336 and 337 on Jan. 30, 2026, carrying a Navajo Nation flag as he travels toward Shiprock.
John is skating the perimeter of the Navajo Nation with a message about drugs, alcohol, gang violence, breast cancer and suicide. His late grandfather introduced him to skateboarding and took him across Navajo lands and through the Four Corners. After his grandfather’s death, John lost his way.
For a while, John drifted. School didn’t matter. Life didn’t matter.
“I didn’t really know what to do with my life anymore,” John said, taking a break from the highway near milepost 336. “I started slacking off in school. I started messing around, not taking life seriously.”
Then skateboarding pulled him back. The solution came to him one day as a simple decision.
“I just told myself one day that I’m going to do what’s right,” he said. “So here I am. I’m doing it.”
Now he wants to reach kids heading down the same path.
“Nowadays the younger generation is leaning toward all these drugs and alcohol,” he said. “I’ve seen it. I know some kids that are going through it. And especially like suicide and all that stuff. I also want to help them too.”
Get outside, he tells them. Find a hobby. Do something.
John will pick up U.S. Highway 64 in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, and continue to Shiprock. A week ago Friday, he completed his first crossing of the Nation, starting from his home in Bluff, Utah, and skating through Round Rock, Lukachukai, Navajo, Fort Defiance, Window Rock, Ganado and Chambers.
When he finished that crossing, members of the Tuba City Native Language Program Association gave him a replacement skateboard. Someone had run over his first board during the journey. The gesture moved him.
He decided to skate around the entire Nation.
The highway is unforgiving. The asphalt grinds down wheels. From Ganado, Arizona, the road narrows to a ribbon with little traffic. The cold bites, though John said adrenaline keeps him warm. A support vehicle travels ahead of him with extra wheels and supplies.
Among his supporters are Paulando Whitesinger of Big Mountain, Arizona, and his daughter, Paulita Whitesinger, the Miss Tuba City Elementary School Princess titleholder. He is with the Tuba City Native Language Program Association, which helps young people get items their families can’t afford, traditional clothing, sash belts, things that matter.
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Paulita Whitesinger, the Miss Tuba City Elementary School Princess titleholder, poses with skateboarder Jalen John as they hold a Navajo Nation flag along U.S. Highway 160 near milepost 336 on Jan. 30, 2026.
He saw John’s TikTok videos after the skateboard accident. His daughter thought John’s message was important. The association bought him a new board.
“I felt it,” Whitesinger said. “So it’s a really good message. She wanted to help him so here we are.”
Paulita travels across the region for her title, including to San Carlos, Arizona, and the Tohono O’odham Nation. In August, she’ll fly to Hawaii after an invitation from Miss Honolulu.
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Miss Tuba City Elementary School Princess Paulita Whitesinger practices a kickflip during a break along U.S. Highway 160 as skateboarder Jalen John looks on, on Jan. 30, 2026.
John is Tótsohnii and born for Tábąąhá. His maternal grandfather is Bįįh Bitoodnii and his paternal grandfather is Kinłichíi’nii.
The flag across his shoulders came from Speaker Crystalyne Curley’s office. He wears it with pride.
John arrived in Kayenta this evening, closing out a long day on the highway before pushing on again.
When he reaches Shiprock, his family will meet him with more wheels. He’ll hit the skatepark for a while. Then he’ll get back on the road.
He wants to raise money and buy skateboards for kids across the Nation to give something back. But he doesn’t know how to set that up yet. For now, this journey runs on will alone.
“I’m really blessed,” John said. “I love meeting new people and I love this land.”
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Paulando Whitesinger holds a skateboard showing a sticker from the Tuba City Native Language Program Association as his daughter, Paulita Whitesinger, the Miss Tuba City Elementary School Princess titleholder, stands nearby along U.S. Highway 160 on Jan. 30, 2026.
The highway stretches ahead. John drops his board on the pavement and pushes off toward the east with a heavy backpack full of food and extra supplies. Paulando and Paulita drive ahead of him.
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