Donovan Bates was born in Fairfax, Virginia and now resides in Prince William County, Virginia. He is raising two beautiful girls. He is the owner of DMV Recycling, Triple 8 Homes, and the founder of Christians United Against Systemic Injustice.  With humble beginnings in the Lord, Donovan gave his life to Christ while incarcerated in 2006.  While experiencing the effects of mass incarceration, Donovan lived in impoverished neighborhoods in Richmond, VA, was rejected from promotion opportunities while working, and even evicted from his home leading to homelessness for half a year.  Through this experience, God gave him a heart of compassion for those who are struggling and going against the grain trying to stay on their feet.  While living in Richmond, Donovan started an outreach ministry called The Real Disciples.  They would search high and low for those who were homeless, and feed them with natural food and spiritual food.  At nights, Donovan, along with others in the ministry, would preach to the people in the club lines, at the bars, and at the strip clubs.  His passion is for others to know the love of the LORD and to truly become a disciple of Jesus Christ.   This led to him, and those in his ministry, to be threatened, attacked, and even arrested for righteousness sake.   Since the spread of COVID-19, Donovan helped to feed thousands of people affected economically due to the pandemic.   After his father was murdered by police officers in 2011, Donovan has been asking God how to respond to the injustices in America as a Christian. In June of 2020, God gave Donovan a vision on how to fight for justice as the church.  He believes that it is vital that Christians come together and fight the injustices that are happening in America.  He believes that these injustices can only be corrected through God.  The Lord has gifted Donovan with a vision to begin correcting oppression, and his heart is dedicated to fighting for justice within marginalized communities.