Rev. James Turner II has a heart for youth.The Nashville,
TN native is one of the most
sought after individuals in the country, and rightfully so. Educated in the Nashville public school
system, Turner has become one of the nation’s most knowledgeable gang experts,
and most visible advocates for youth affiliated with gangs.
Rev. Turner’s zest for leadership began in high school and
continued on the college campus of TennesseeStateUniversity
where he served as President of the National Midwest Baptist Youth Conference
and Youth President of the Nashville City District Association. After college,
Turner moved to Atlanta
where he became a student at Morehouse College of Religion. While there, he was
asked to speak at several youth conferences, as well as a host of groups and
organizations in Atlanta.
He also worked as Youth Specialist with the ITC Health Initiative and
Curriculum Editor of the United Negro College Fund Hope Program.
After college, and the birth of his son, Rev. Turner
returned to Nashville and became the Executive
Director of the National Midwest Youth Conference and served as Steering
Committee Vice-Chair of the NashvilleYouthViolencePreventionCenter.
But it was while working as a probation officer with the Juvenile Court of
Nashville that his advocacy for at-risk youth and gang members was sparked.
While working as a parole officer, Rev. Turner became attuned to some alarming
trends: 200 of the youth on his caseload were gang members, and 90% of them
were placed in the State’s custody and tried as adults. He wanted to find a way
to reach these young men before they got caught up in a culture of violence, crime
and the court system. Immediately, he organized and hosted The State of Black
Youth Summit to begin a dialogue on the epidemic of gang life and its effects
on today’s youth. After the summit, he met Cornelius Carroll, a former gang
member and national gang expert. They joined forces to begin a gang awareness
and counseling program called The Dream Team, which currently presents to over
250 organizations and youth groups annually. Because of the Dream Team, young
gang leaders and members have refocused their lives, graduated from high school
and are now in college.
In 2008, Rev. Turner relocated to Baltimore, MD,
a city known for its soaring number of youth involved in gangs, and lectured
about gangs and violence prevention to many schools, churches and community
leaders. He became a board member of the WoodbourneCenter
for Boys and was a committee member of the Johns Hopkins University Center of
Youth Violence. After a year, he moved back to Nashville,
where he currently works at the OasisYouthCenter
as a Youth Specialist and Resident Gang Expert.
Rev. James Turner hopes to be a
catalyst to help save a generation by creating avenues to success.
