Esau Jenkins (July 3, 1910 – October 30, 1972) was a
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
Human Rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
leader, businessman, local preacher, and community organizer. He was the founder and leader of many organizations and institutions which helped improved the political, educational, housing, health and economic conditions of Sea Island residents.
Life and career
![1960-Esau Jenkins](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/1960-Esau_Jenkins.jpg)
Jenkins grew up during the times of
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
, when educational opportunities were not readily available to him. However, he knew the importance of education and was determined that his children and those of others would not be denied. In the 1940s, Esau and his wife Janie used their money from farming and selling produce to purchase several buses. These buses were used to transport their own children and others on the
Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Southeastern United States. Numbering over 100, they are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of South Caroli ...
to school in
Charleston and thus further their education. In 1951, he was instrumental in the establishment of
Haut Gap High School on
Johns Island, so all children on the island would have the educational opportunity to better themselves. Today, Haut Gap is an advance studies magnet middle school.
Jenkins’ buses also transported workers to jobs in the Charleston area. During the bus rides, Jenkins and his wife would teach their adult passengers the information needed to pass the
literacy exam, so they could become
registered voters
In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote.
The ru ...
. Jenkins realized the need for a systemic approach to adult education. At the invitation of Septima Clark, he traveled to Highlander Folk Center to meet with Myles Horton to discuss the need for adult education and citizen classes on the Sea Islands. The first
citizenship school was established on Johns Island at
the Progressive Club
The Progressive Club is a historic Club (organization), clubhouse located at Johns Island, South Carolina, Johns Island, Charleston County, South Carolina. It was built in 1963, and provided a home for Esau Jenkins' Progressive Club's legal and fin ...
(listed in 2007 on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
). The Progressive Club was a co-op started in 1948 by Jenkins and other families on Johns Island. Notable individuals participated in workshops including Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
and many others. The co-op housed a community grocery store, gas station, recreation area, sleeping rooms, classroom space and allowed residents to
trade goods and services to help each other in times of need. The school was so effective that it served as the model for other citizenship schools established throughout the
South to teach adult education, basic literacy and political education classes and workshops, resulting in thousands of citizens becoming registered voters.
Jenkins founded the
Citizens Committee of Charleston
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
in 1959 and the
C.O. Federal Credit Union in 1966. This credit union helped to further the economic advancement of the community. Residents were able to secure low-interest loans to purchase homes, businesses, vehicles and even send their children to college.
Jenkins was also one of the founders of
Rural Mission, Inc. This initiative provided services for migrant and seasonal farm workers on the Sea Islands. In or about 1970, Rural Mission, Inc. received $96,000.00 through the Office of Economic Opportunity with the assistance of Senator Ernest F. Hollings to start a health clinic at Bethlehem United Methodist Church to serve the five sea islands of Charleston County: Johns Island, James Island, Wadmalaw Island, Edisto Island, and Yonges Island. In February 1972, the health clinic became a separate incorporated entity and was known as
Sea Island Comprehensive Health Care Corporation, a comprehensive health care center for the Sea Island residents.
Jenkins and his wife owned and operated a fruit and vegetable stand, a fleet of buses, a motel and restaurant in Charleston, SC and also on
Atlantic Beach, SC.
Mr. Jenkins was known for his iconic 1966
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...
deluxe station wagon (also known as a VW Bus) that he used for his work in the community and throughout the South. Printed on the back panels of the vehicle was Jenkins' motto: “Love is Progress, Hate is Expensive.” In 2014, the Jenkins family donated the back panels of the vehicle to the new
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
to become a part of one of the permanent exhibits entitled “Defining Freedom, Defending Freedom: The Era of Segregation”.
The Smithsonian, the Jenkins family, and the
Preservation Society of Charleston Founded in 1920, the Preservation Society of Charleston is the oldest community-based historic preservation organization in the United States. Susan Pringle Frost founded the organization, first known as the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwell ...
hosted the bus artifacts send off to the Smithsonian on June 1, 2014. This event was included in the
Piccolo Spoleto Festival
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
and several hundred attended. All local Charleston news outlets covered the story via interviews and articles about the event.
The Historic Vehicle Associationand th
College of Charleston'sHistoric Preservation and Community Planning BA Program were instrumental in preserving the Volkswagen bus, and in September 2019, the bus was the 26th vehicle added to the National Historic Vehicle Register.
Jenkins died on October 30, 1972. He has received many posthumous awards, including having a bridge, street, and health clinic named in his memory.
References
Notes
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External links
*
Esau Jenkins Papersat the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
* Progressive Club, http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160214/pc1002/160219625
* Sea Island Comprehensive Health Care Corporation
www.sichcc.org
* Community Owned Federal Credit Union
http://www.cofederalcreditunion.com/
* May 10, 1962 New York Amsterdam News article by Dr. King introduces two unknown heroes of the Civil Rights Movement in the South
People in Action: Unknown Heroes* http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/theme/447
"Faith in Action: The First Citizenship School on Johns Island, South C" by Amanda Shrader Jordan - Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University - ETSU.edu* AT&T South Carolina African American History Calendar, http://scafricanamerican.com/honorees/esau-jenkins/
* Civil Rights Digital Library, http://crdl.usg.edu/people/j/jenkins_esau_1910_1972/?Welcome
* Esau Jenkins Memorial Bridge,http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150321/PC1201/150329895
*
* Esau Jenkins van send off event
2014 Piccolo Spoleto Program Guide - Piccolo Spoleto Festival* Credit Union National Association News, http://news.cuna.org/articles/SC_CU,_civil_rights_leader_receives_Smithsonian_honor
* United Methodist Church
View pdf - United Methodist Church* Progressive Club, https://www.ncba.coop/ncba-media/press-releases/432-the-co-op-that-changed-the-south
* http://www.ithaca.com/news/local_news/civil-rights-activist-dorothy-cotton-speaks-about-the-movement-world/article_4462acb4-654b-59c5-b4dd-b42e30194556.html
Digital Collections in SC - Digital Collections - LibGuides at South Carolina State LibraryLocal Civil Rights pioneer's van sent to Smithsonian News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News ...* Photo of Esau Jenkins at the podium at Emmanuel AME Church, Dr. King seated behind, http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20160117/AIK0101/160119464
* https://www.loc.gov/folklife/civilrights/survey/view_collection.php?coll_id=2615
* Huffington Post
11 Baby Names Inspired By Civil Rights Activists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Esau
Activists for African-American civil rights
1910 births
1972 deaths
20th-century American educators
African-American writers
American writers
20th-century African-American educators