Yasmine “YazzieSpeaks” Arrington

Yasmine “YazzieSpeaks” Arrington was born and raised in Washington, DC. She graduated from Elon University in 2015 with a BA in Strategic Communications and History. Yasmine earned her Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Divinity in 2018, where she served as the 2016 -17 Student Government Association President. She holds the title of Miss District of Columbia Plus America 2016 and Radio One WKYS 2017 Top 30 Under 30.

In 2010, while a junior in high school student, Yasmine founded the non-profit ScholarCHIPS,  an organization that provides college scholarships, mentorship and a support network to graduating high school seniors who have a parent(s) in prison and are pursuing their college degree. To date, ScholarCHIPS has awarded over $100,000 in college scholarships to 51 scholars. Further, in the space of criminal justice reform and family reunification, Yasmine is a certified trainer for Healing Communities USA, a national non-profit that provides trainings and certifications for churches to establish sustainable and effective prison ministries for congregants with incarcerated loved ones. Yasmine has written articles for The Huffington Post on “Education and Mentorship: The Keys to the Doors of Freedom” and “Growing Up with an Incarcerated Parent.”