Jump On It

Words by Guadalupe Triana Photos by Eric Morales

Whether it’s attending rallies with Black Austin Coalition, or booking popular artists for the Jump On It festival series, everything Brina Turner does is for her community. 

Nowadays, the activist, entrepreneur, and Jump On It operations director stays busy finding new ways for her and her husband, artist and community leader Charles “Nook” Turner, to uplift and celebrate the people around them.

“We wear a lot of different hats,” Brina chuckles. “We do a lot of work in different circles.” Brina’s diverse work mainly focuses on one thing: empowering Black people. 

Established in 1997, Jump On It is an event series that brings the community together through live entertainment and provides a range of community resources that often include things like health screenings and voter registration. With direction from the late Austin civil rights community leader Dorothy Turner, Nook created Jump On It. Since then, the summer event series has taken many different forms.

Jump On It combines and celebrates many of their deepest passions: community, activism, and entertainment. They’re all part of the vibrant culture Brina uses to uplift the community. “We build things—the Black community [constantly] rebuilds what has been lost and what has been a cause and effect of gentrification,” says Brina. “We’re here, and we’re a force to be reckoned with, no matter the location.”

Over the years, Jump On It has occupied many different venues and, in a way, is always evolving. Even with countless logistical challenges, nothing has stopped the duo from reaching their audience.

The pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way Jump On It events look and feel. In December 2020, Jump On It hosted the We Are Austin Virtual Series which was recorded live and broadcasted through Facebook. The event highlighted the community of hip-hop artists in Austin with over 12,000 virtual attendees. 

Currently, Jump On It is working on a few projects, one of them being a radio station that will be available to listeners via an app. The app itself is being developed by a group of youth who are programming, producing, and ultimately creating the radio station from scratch. Right now, the Jump On It radio app is set to launch early 2022. 

Something that’s always been important to Brina, within these youth programs, is to provide a range of activities during a youth camp. “[Kids] will never truly know what they enjoy until they’re exposed to it,” Brina shares. “I think that’s one of the key components that is important to what we do—it’s exposing the youth [we work with] to different things.”

Using her passion and talent for bringing people together along with the encouragement of her husband, Brina created She A Pro, an event that recognizes the hard work of women whose work often goes unnoticed. “The motivation behind that was [to uplift] our queens and give them the space—whatever their walk is. If they’re doing their best, then they’re a pro!” she exclaims. Brina wanted to use the opportunity to recognize and highlight the women who do the work and never get acknowledged because of their background or social status. “Jump On It wanted to make sure that they are recognized, and elevated, and say thank you,” she says.

With the endless hurdles and demanding work required, Brina says it’s all worth it to see “the smile on people’s faces and the elation… [that] motivates me every time.” 

Contact:
(512) 348-8005
jumponitoutreach@gmail.com
jumponit.live
@jumponit.live