Jasmine Henderson serves as a board member and recording secretary for Umoja Unity Committee, a nonprofit organization focused on bridging diverse cultures through education and artistic presentations in East Tennessee. As a board member, Henderson has produced events and campaigns dedicated to celebrating diversity through education and artistic performance. A prolific community organizer and spoken word artist, Henderson has produced events and campaigns dedicated to celebrating diversity in Appalachia and beyond, helping to raise funds for the “Water for Flint” crisis and work with the NAACP. Most recently, she has partnered with the 400 Years of African American History Commission to develop a series entitled “An Evening with Our Elders,” a dinner conversation featuring local notable elders and their stories. Jasmine states, “I am hopeful that this project will encourage a much deeper appreciation of the diversity of Appalachia and the important role African Americans have played in American history. ” Henderson acknowledges the International Storytelling Center Freedom Stories Project is capable of helping connect African Americans in Appalachia realize with a larger American legacy.
Henderson is supported in her community work by the Langston Education and Arts Development Centre (LEAD) where she has also performed as a spoken-word artist and community activist. As a spoken-word artist, Henderson has also performed at LEAD, the Pack Memorial Library in Asheville, North Carolina, the Yarn Exchange Radio Show in Jonesborough and several events at East Tennessee State University. Jasmine is the daughter of Elizabethton, Tennessee native, Bonnie Henderson and the twin of Jessica Henderson. While she was born and raised in Hampton, VA, she accredits Johnson City and former Washington County NAACP President, Ralph Davis for birthing her dedication to community action. She is still blooming and hopes to help others bloom as well.
