To be Young, Gifted, and Black: The Next Phase for Youth Minds United

Local & National News | April 2, 2026 | 7:45 p.m. CDT

Edited: April 3, 2026 | 12:10 a.m. CDT

Written by: Gilbert Barnes Carter III

I arrived at the Cossitt Branch Library early on Friday, March 20, ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with Ms. Briana Stevens and Ms. Jasmine Bernard, the Co-founder of Youth Minds United. I had a chance to decompress with Ms. Bernard moments before Ms. Stevens joined us in the "Fish Bowl" on the second floor. We were both in Selma, Alabama to participate during Jubilee festivities in observance of the 61st anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." Her debriefing of the scope of her work there with Black Voters Matter was very insightful.

She made one statement that should be imprinted on thousands of banners, memes, and T-shirts. She draws her inspiration from reminiscing about when she centered subject development around the celebrated work of Dr. Ruha Benjamin to complete a writing assignment.

"Black faces in high places won't liberate us."

Ms. Jasmine Bernard

An amazing attribute that Ms. Bernard and her Co-founder and cousin, Mr. Johnathan Isom, possess is their high level of poise. I had the inclination to note how remarkable it is for young people to be so poised, as if that is akin to one finding a rare Earth mineral underfoot by chance. The bleak reality is that the cultural dissonance and failures of many adults in America are reasons why more well-adjusted young people have taken ownership of positions of agency.

In Memphis, more Black and well-adjusted young people are emerging as disruptors and facilitators in zip code areas such as 38109, where the majority of Youth Minds United members are born and raised. The YMU leadership roster is sizeable with Mr. Isom, Ms. Bernard, Mr. Syr'Jayvion Reed - Community Service Lead, Ms. Jordan Coleman - Youth President, and Ms. Krysten Strachan - Social Media Lead.

The Rebellous Librarian

Ms. Stevens joined us not too long after Ms. Bernard dropped her bombshell. She takes rightful command in any space with the quintessential charm and fashion sense of the established, upwardly mobile, and vibrant Black American female professional. But there is an inexhaustible flame inside of her for everything that is upright at the street level. She is a daughter of the city, and earned her credibility as a capable agitator early on during her undergraduate matriculation at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville.

I know that a community partnership between the Cossitt team and YMU leadership will be rich with mutual benefit. I also received the unmitigated joy of listening to and watching two astounding Black women share just a few of their perspectives that should be converted into noteworthy think pieces. Ms. Bernard's perspectives through her "radical rest" matrix landed with Ms. Stevens and I perfectly. Ms. Stevens' perspective on the subject of Black women who, often privately, incurred various forms of abuse from partners and spouses who were leaders during the early stages of the Movement was salient. I was prompted to give consideration to the positive counternarratives in Ms. Joy-Ann Reid's beautifully written Medgar & Merlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America after receiving her analysis.

It was invigorating to watch Ms. Stevens, who is a self-proclaimed "rebel", to offer such copious support to Youth Minds United by the conclusion of the meeting. We concluded by setting a clear plan for YMU members to utilize Cossitt Library as the new space to collect donations for food drives, host monthly general group meetings, host weekly virtual leadership team meetings, and pass out food during the food drives. The plan is currently under review.

The goals during the next phase of Youth Minds United programming are listed below.

- The creation of a Youth Mental Health Campaign -

Awareness and education for young people in Memphis with regard to existing mental health resources...

Encouragement for young people to record and report violations against their humanity...

Help for the alleviation of the cultural stigma around mental health...

- YMU Youth Lunch Campaign - Summer, 2026 -

Will feed young people in Memphis during summer break...

Host weekly lunch give aways...

Host learning sessions with discussions centered around topics such as social justice, college life, and career path information...

The members of Youth Minds United issue a call to action to adults across the Memphis metropolitan area. You can maintain correspondence with them through the following channels.

Mr. Johnathan Isom - youthmindsunitedfounder@gmail.com, johnathansings65@gmail.com

Mr. Marc Williams -anthonywilliamsmaw@gmail.com

Ms. Jasmine Bernard - bernardjasmine27@gmail.com

Youth Minds United - Mission Statement

"To create youth-led change and community support in order to empower the young people of Memphis..."

Photo Credits:

Header Photo by: Ms. Jasmine Bernard

Body Photo (1) by: Mr. Johnathan Isom

Body Photo (2) by: Ms. Jasmine Bernard

Body Photo (3) by: Mr. Marc Williams

Gilbert Barnes Carter III is a Memphis-based author, child welfare advocate, community organizer, emerging farmer, gardener, journalist, and social justice advocate. He began his social justice advocacy and work by serving as a Shelby County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Board volunteer in 2005. He has worked since then to effectuate change for low-wage, immigrant, and migrant workers as a Temporary Workers Campaign Manager with Workers Interfaith Network; an advocate for Teamsters Local 667 sanitation workers; and a community / field organizer to uphold blight reduction, efficient public mass transit, environmental justice, food access, food justice, food security, narrative change, and public safety.