Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi.
Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform in concert?
I have always wanted to make it to a Carlos Santana concert.
What’s your greatest extravagance?
What do I have that’s extravagant? I have a fancy bed. I splurged on a Tempur-Pedic bed. That’s extravagant to me.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Taking my kids to Athens, Greece. I went there once, years ago. I had a blast.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Hands down, an elephant. I’ve always loved elephants. Or a gorilla.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi.
Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform in concert?
I have always wanted to make it to a Carlos Santana concert.
What’s your greatest extravagance?
What do I have that’s extravagant? I have a fancy bed. I splurged on a Tempur-Pedic bed. That’s extravagant to me.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Taking my kids to Athens, Greece. I went there once, years ago. I had a blast.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Hands down, an elephant. I’ve always loved elephants. Or a gorilla.
Off the Cuff
aised in Eagle River, Jasmin Smith has been adopted by Mountain View. She nurtures the neighborhood in return, locating her Umoja Coworking & Incubator there. Named for the Swahili word for unity, “It’s a nonprofit designed to be a coworking space for entrepreneurs in communities who need it the most,” she explains.
Smith aspired to be a primatologist like Jane Goodall, but while at college in Atlanta her path led to the music industry. “The rappers said, ‘You sound fancy. Where are you from?’ So, because I knew how to talk professionally, they hired me to be their business person,” she recalls. Handling contracts morphed into a consulting business.
Becoming a mother inspired a new direction. After improvising a diaper at the Fifth Avenue Mall, Smith created a vending machine for baby supplies. Her company, Baby Vend, now has more than fifty machines in sixteen states.
A self-described serial entrepreneur, Smith is also the owner of a consulting association, The Business Boutique, and the president of the Alaska Black Chamber of Commerce. “We have a lot of ecosystems for entrepreneurship,” she says. “We’re always thinking of other things to do with the [Umoja] building that’s not just business but also community and wellness at the same time.”
Jasmin Smith: [In addition to Umoja,] I’m also a big animal person. The SPCA and other animal places.
AB: What do you do in your free time?
Smith: Lie in bed, watch true crime shows, and hang out at the playground with the neighborhood kids and push them on the swing too much.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Smith: When I learned how to play rugby. I played rugby for a while. That was daring enough for me. I had no idea what I was doing. It was fun, though.
AB: What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
Smith: Let my hair down—literally—and jump in my bed.
AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Smith: Chowder Express [food truck on Mountain View Drive, across from Umoja’s previous location].
AB: What are you superstitious about?
Smith: Growing up in my family, we had those Southern ones. Like, you have to put money under your porch when you go into the new year, so you aren’t broke. Or you have to cook certain dishes at the new year, so you have good luck. I swear by those.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Smith: I have always wanted to learn how to design… I’m not creative at all; I can’t draw or that stuff, so I’m really working on how to be creative—paint, draw, color—because I’m terrible at it.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Smith: I am an independent go-getter. I will get it done and problem solve like a champ… My worst attribute is that I get it done like a champ on my own schedule. For those who don’t know me, it can cause some anxiety because I don’t have a clear process. I just live by, “Trust me, it’ll be done.”
