[0:01] [Music]

[0:08] so I'm originally from Atlanta Georgia

[0:11] born and raised there i left Atlanta uh

[0:14] after high school and went to college in

[0:16] Washington DC at American University

[0:19] from college I moved back to Atlanta for

[0:21] a short little bit of time i should say

[0:24] I guess I studied abroad did an

[0:25] internship in the south of France moved

[0:28] to Birmingham Alabama back to Atlanta to

[0:32] Minneapolis i was employed with General

[0:35] Mills so a transfer at that time bought

[0:37] me to the Twin Cities i lived downtown

[0:40] in a beautiful condo in the Mill

[0:42] District um right by the Guthrie for

[0:44] many years and then when I got married

[0:47] we purchased a home in Edinina

[0:50] [Music]

[0:54] i grew up in Atlanta where there is a

[0:57] very thriving black middle class i was

[1:00] very fortunate to see a lot of

[1:03] representation of u you know black

[1:06] professionals whether it be lawyers

[1:08] doctors corporate community uh in my

[1:10] church and um out and about in the

[1:13] community even though I did go to

[1:14] predominantly white schools I had a very

[1:18] strong community and village there were

[1:20] always people pouring into me loving me

[1:23] there was representation that I could do

[1:26] and be anything that I wanted to be if

[1:29] you think about racism I would say you

[1:32] know I think of one incident in high

[1:34] school probably like my first incident

[1:36] where it was like I had to get my

[1:37] parents involved and someone had to

[1:38] apologize to me but other than that like

[1:43] you knew where people stood so there was

[1:45] no guessing like if a person was racist

[1:47] they said "We don't like black people we

[1:49] don't like women." And that was it and I

[1:51] think the problem is where people have

[1:53] like this sheep's clothing and they

[1:55] pretend like they care and they want to

[1:57] be your friend and you're like I trusted

[1:59] them or I let them in and then they turn

[2:02] to be they turn out to be something um

[2:05] other than what they presented

[2:07] themselves as or when people say that

[2:10] they're very committed and then their

[2:12] actions are not in alignment with their

[2:14] words that leads to um you know some

[2:19] covert feelings of ismisms

[2:24] [Music]

[2:27] in this time and age this is not the

[2:29] time to be afraid there are so many

[2:32] things that can happen that can lead us

[2:34] to fear even myself I remember I'm in

[2:37] school um at the University of

[2:39] Pennsylvania i'm working i'm traveling

[2:41] all the time and I remember when the

[2:47] administration changed and there were

[2:48] these raids happening and I had

[2:52] completely been in my homework bubble in

[2:55] my life and you know people talk about

[2:56] the Edina bubble i don't even think I

[2:58] was in the Edina bubble i was in the

[3:00] Jasmine bubble and I spoke to my mom in

[3:04] Atlanta and she was telling me about

[3:07] these rapes and all of this stuff and

[3:08] she had this fear and concern and I was

[3:12] like what like what where what are you

[3:15] talking about mom like where and then I

[3:17] felt like well where have I been what

[3:19] I've been so self-absorbed in rightfully

[3:22] so in all of the things on my plate that

[3:24] I have not even connected with the

[3:26] outside world i'm not watching the news

[3:28] because I'm protecting my peace and so

[3:31] I'm missing a major important

[3:33] conversation of something taking place

[3:35] in our country and I remember I was

[3:37] actually driving to the television

[3:39] station i'm the lifestyle contributor to

[3:40] WCCCO TV and I thought "Oh my god

[3:42] Jasmine

[3:45] you've been in this bubble." So you got

[3:46] to decide like are you going to pop the

[3:49] bubble and what are you going to do and

[3:53] I know trust me I know I am so busy i

[3:57] can't I really should not even be here

[3:59] talking to you today i am so very busy

[4:03] and there's so much on my plate and

[4:05] there are so many things that I need to

[4:07] deal with and yet I know that my voice

[4:10] is needed and so again that um being

[4:16] driven by service and legacy and impact

[4:20] brings me here

[4:22] [Music]

[4:26] you know I always say like if you notice

[4:28] an opportunity area there's an

[4:31] opportunity for you to be a part of the

[4:32] solution and so I am very much serviced

[4:37] driven in my professional and personal

[4:40] life impact and legacy matter to me a

[4:43] great deal and so all that I do I think

[4:46] about what is the service component and

[4:48] what is the opportunity for impact and

[4:51] legacy and so that pretty much guides um

[4:54] it serves as a a part of my you know

[4:56] true north for anyone saying that they

[4:59] want to do something there is no time

[5:02] like the present but I always say yeah I

[5:05] have a strong bias for action how can we

[5:07] move people to action so start where you

[5:11] are start with your common interest you

[5:15] know if you are a foodie and you hear

[5:17] all of these things about like food

[5:19] unstability and food shelters like look

[5:21] for an opportunity there but start where

[5:24] you are and more importantly start with

[5:26] your interest and allow your interest to

[5:29] drive your opportunities for service and

[5:31] your opportunities to be connected to

[5:34] the bigger conversations taking place my

[5:36] top strength is connection i am a

[5:38] connector and people need people so

[5:43] start having conversations have a

[5:46] conversation with somebody that doesn't

[5:47] believe what you believe and look for

[5:50] the commonalities and build from that i

[5:52] mean we all talk about our differences

[5:54] and it's really important to respect and

[5:57] honor and acknowledge and see someone's

[6:00] differences so I'm not saying that like

[6:02] I want people to know that yes I am a

[6:03] black woman living in America but hey

[6:07] build a bridge with the commonalities

[6:09] look for those opportunities for

[6:11] connection

[6:13] [Music]