Paul Martin has dedicated his career to reducing physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering through advocacy, nonprofit leadership, and public education. Formally trained in philosophical ethics, Paul has served in senior nonprofit roles both nationally and internationally. After witnessing the devastating impact of fentanyl on people experiencing addiction and on families who have lost loved ones to poisoning, he founded United Against Fentanyl to help bring communities, families, and organizations together around awareness, education, and action. Paul holds a BA in Philosophy from UCLA and an MA in Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He is also preparing to launch a podcast exploring what he describes as the intersection of addiction and organized crime.
This month we had the opportunity to sit down with Paul and learn more about him and the organization he created.
What experiences first inspired you to create United Against Fentanyl?
I’ve spent my life fighting injustice and working to help end human suffering. In 2023 I stumbled upon a rural town in New Mexico and learned about fentanyl. I ended up spending the year working with city officials, mentoring teens, and working directly with fentanyl users. I was later invited to Washington DC for an even for bereaved family members. I felt I need to use my experience to help in the crisis.
How did the idea for Walk for Lives begin?
With a few months of launching UAF we had dozens of letters from moms who lost children. They clicked the “get involved” button on our website and described losing their child and wanting to volunteer especially in their communities. Walk for Lives was ultimately birthed by them—we just provided training and marketing for them.
Why was it important for families and survivors to be at the center of these events?
All the data and facts and statistics we have do not light a candle to a story being told by a family member, especially a mother. When they tell their stories, people listen. Because Walk for Lives was birthed by these family members, we felt it important to step back and let them lead these events and also serve on our UAF national volunteer team
What makes a public walk such a powerful way to honor lives lost and educate communities?
Walking together creates a kind of ritual, or some would say embodiment. Walks have been used, going back to Gandhi and even before, as a way of showing solidarity in spirit, not only surrounding an issue but also, again, with our actual physical bodies unified, moving together in the same direction
How does Walk for Lives help turn grief and awareness into meaningful action?
There is perhaps no more powerful force in the universe than that of a parent or family member losing a loved one. That loss cannot be compared to anything else. There are one million parents grieving the loss of a child due to fentanyl and over five million family members when you add siblings and grandparents. There is an army out there with a deep desire to find purpose in their loss. That's what Walk for Lives is about
What have you learned from the families and communities participating across the country?
I've learned that because there is no right or wrong way to grieve, some family members are not comfortable being involved in advocacy or awareness. But others feel that they must. Some have shared with us that participation in Walk for Lives literally saved their life. Ultimately, I’ve learned that these remarkable men and women have the most profound sense of loss, and it's shown me, because I've spoken with hundreds of them and meet with them every day of the week, that this fentanyl crisis is far more insidious than most people realize
Why are partnerships with organizations like End Overdose important to expanding the campaign’s impact?
United Against Fentanyl is a coordinating organization. Our heart and vision is to help amplify the work of individuals and organizations and find true win-win relationships, because given an issue as massive as Fentanyl and the emerging synthetic drugs, positivity and optimism and collaboration and unity must be central to success
What do you hope every person takes away from participating in a Walk for Lives event?
I hope everybody leaves feeling more connected with the greatest power in the universe, which is our relationships with family, friends, and community. From that, I hope people understand the uniqueness of fentanyl and also that stigma is the single greatest reason why it's so difficult to win the battle against addiction
