Credit: Photo courtesy of Shannon Kuhn
Jasmin Smith with her children, Elohim and Akaiya, 2020
Jasmin Smith is an entrepreneur, teacher, business consultant, community activist, and single mother of twins.
She says, “being a Black woman is not easy and it's not for the faint of heart. I was born into an amazing history of powerful women who did so much to help change this country—but, on the flip side, it comes with inherited struggles and barriers. Sometimes I have to laugh and smile to keep from crying because that's how heavy it feels.
So, the idea of Black joy is real to me. When I think about all the work that I do in the community, the people who came before me and laid the foundation, my kids, the legacy I want to leave them, and the world I want them to live in it makes me happy. Visualizing what I know we're capable of as a people, seeing that manifested and lived every day—that gives me joy. I don't want to pass down the hardships of being Black to my kids, I want to pass down the good the stuff that they can be proud of and the accomplishments and a strong culture and history. That's legit Black joy to me.”