The Yasmin Wright Scholarship preserves the legacy of teenagers in Birmingham following a tragic death

This is another part of the series “Beyond Violence.” Subscribe to the newsletter here.

After losing her niece, 16-year-old Yasmin Wright, to gun violence in 2022, Janice Wright created the scholarship so that other students could have the opportunities Yasmin didn’t have.

On Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m., Wright will host a scholarship concert and balloon release in Yasmin’s honor at St. Mark’s Missionary Baptist Church. Each year since Yasmin’s death, the Yasmin Wright Scholarship of $500 has been awarded to two Wenona High School marching band students to carry on her legacy. Wright said she wants people to remember Yasmin as the free-spirited, outgoing, bright child she grew up with.

“She was a light to all those around her … Those of us who knew her still talk about her, and those we are going to bless in the future will know that they were blessed by Yasmin,” Wright said.

“Although my child did not live long enough to leave a mark here in this world, if the rest of the world does not remember her name, I pray that the people we blessed with the scholarship will remember, “I received a scholarship from Yasmin, to help me along the way.”…I feel like it’s going to leave a mark on the world.”

Yasmin Wright was just a few days shy of 17 years old, a student at Wenona High School and a member of the school band, working at the Birmingham Zoo. On the night of January 8, 2022, Yasmin’s great-aunt, Janice Wright, came to pick her up after work. On the way home, Yasmin excitedly told her aunt how happy she was about her birthday.

They were driving through west Birmingham, about 5 minutes from home, when a stray bullet went through the door and hit Yasmin.

Wright, who had raised Yasmin from birth, taking on the role of her mother, quickly rushed her to the fire station and they rushed her to the hospital. But it was too late.

“The wound never goes away,” Wright said. “Just love your children like it’s your last day because you don’t know when their last day will come.”

Amid the deadliest year in Birmingham’s history, Firearms remained the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in Alabama. Birmingham finished 2024 with 151 murders, breaking the city’s all-time record for murders.

Among the people killed in 2024 in Birmingham, 10 were children, with the youngest Landyn Brooks, 5 years old and the being of the last death 17-year-old Gerald Andre Lomax Jr.the Jackson-Olin athlete who was shot in front of Woodlawn High School after a basketball game in November.

During an assembly at Wenona High School last year to educate students about the dangers of gun violence, Willie Goldsmith, Wenona’s principal, said nearly all the kids at the assembly raised their hands when asked if they had ever known someone who had been a victim. armed violence.

“I’m rooting for (Wright) because I know every year it comes up, it’s a reminder. It’s like removing a scab from a wound every time,” he said.

Goldsmith said Wenonah teachers are working around the clock to support their students amid rising youth violence to ensure children and teenagers in the community have access to clothing, hygiene products and food.

Every year since Yasmin’s death, Wright has worked to turn her daughter’s tragic death into an opportunity to become a worthy student.

On Senior Day, the annual celebration of Wenonah seniors’ accomplishments such as earning scholarships, going to college and joining the military, Goldsmith stands in front of a sea of ​​excited parents and students to announce the winners of the Yasmin Wright Scholarship.

“She was a child who had her whole future ahead of her. Her mother started this scholarship to give that dream to other students who live in the same community and witness the many different things that have happened in that community,” Goldsmith said.

“She cares for her children and others, and she does so consistently and with dedication. These kids really appreciate it… It’s people like Ms. Wright who talk about life to our kids, that’s what makes a difference. Her dedication to this is her daughter’s memory and will always be remembered.”