Jasmine’s Story
Illustration by Miku & Photography by Brandon Werth
For Jasmine Parker, that passed-down example of inspiration and greatness came from her mother.
Though Jasmine would not enter the medical field like her mother, she was determined to find her own way to ensure people had the nourishing ingredients that we all need in order to thrive, and to discover the greatness in ourselves. In that way, she’d carry on the example of giving that shaped her growing up. Jasmine Parker is now a mother herself, raising four sweet kids on St. Paul’s east side, each with their own take on life, and their own unique needs.
In 2013, information arrived at her doorstep about 30,000 Feet (30k) — a program that provides arts education and technology apprenticeships as a first step to many levels of change. Jasmine seized the opportunity.
“There were no barriers” says Jasmine, highlighting the warm accessibility of 30k’s initial outreach. Nine years later, Jasmine’s continued presence in the program is a nod to her way of “speaking up and out” for herself and in service to others.
Jasmine’s kids are a presence at 30k as well. Her daughter is the eldest; a high-schooler who excels in her studies and makes use of 30k’s internship program. Her two sons, middle-schoolers, are learning how to use their love of music to connect with their classroom studies. For them, 30k’s after-school academic support and art residencies have been positively impactful. The youngest of Jasmine’s children is a 7-month old who will no doubt be nurtured and supported down his own wonderful path.
Jasmine, a savvy risk-taker who likes seeing ideas through, feels at home on 30k’s concerned parents committee, mental illness board, and homelessness board. Through 30k, Jasmine feels better equipped to understand current events that affect her life and how mental health and homelessness impact one another.
Jasmine knows that people of color in Minnesota struggle with homelessness and lack of mental health support at disproportionate rates. But she didn’t need statistics to understand the importance of battling homelessness and working to bring mental health resources to St. Paul schools.
She’s lived the data points; enduring both issues and journeying to find the best way to understand and overcome barriers.
“I had instabilities that I was afraid to deal with or even let people know about because I wanted to make it appear that everything was okay,” she says. “But mental illness doesn’t look a certain type of way. It affects all of us.”
Jasmine’s goal is not only about seeing numbers of those affected by social ills or lack of resources decline. She wants to usher in a world where it “won’t be so uncommon or unheard of to see a group of young, Black women and men that are all for the community.” The pivotal presence of Jasmine’s mom that began a chain of greatness now flows through Jasmine to her children and greater community — both primed to thrive. Through Jasmine’s influence and 30k’s programming, new stories have begun:
Jasmine’s daughter is a positive presence and voice for her friends and classmates, channeling the greatness that has been passed down to her into her peers. If there’s something amiss, whether it’s bullying or other harmful happenings, Jasmine’s daughter is there to step in — pulling her strength from watching her mom buff down injustices daily.
Jasmine’s sons have become more vocal in standing up for themselves; rooted in a stronger sense of self through learning better social and emotional development at 30k’s after-school program. They’ve also turned into published artists in their own right. The two produced a song (from lyric to beat) on what they experienced following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police in 2020. 30k was there to give them the support and space they needed to be creative.
And as Jasmine continues her efforts, parents are learning from her that “it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from” in order to push for (and achieve) wins like rent stabilization or learning how to best fight for issues close to one’s heart. Understanding and unpacking social issues is a give and take. You can listen, but Jasmine also encourages people to not “take anyone else’s word and find out for yourself.”
Jasmine is crafting her own chapter of a story that connects people across time and generations, giving a community a place to beautifully be. She glows as she speaks on the bubbling potential of youth in Saint Paul. Looking for the next wave of great thinkers and doers? “We have them here,” she says. This idea fuels her tireless energy, and gives deep personal value to her efforts. “Children only know what they see and what we teach them,” Jasmine says. That’s why she shines her guiding light so brightly.
This story was originally produced and published for 30,000 Ft by Pollen Studio.
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