Fighting White Supremacy Head On, They’re Pushing Back With Faith

Esau and Janie Jenkins weren’t afraid of going toe to toe with white supremacy - they knew something white supremaicsts didn’t.

The Jenkins’ believed God is the God of the oppressed! They embodied the biblical reference, “I am my brother’s keeper,” in everything they did.

They never backed down in the face of oppression – they knew white supremacy was a form of cowardice, and God didn’t create us to be cowards.

Within their Johns Island community, the Jenkins’ established multiple businesses, organizations, and bus services for our people to thrive. A HUGE accomplishment was establishing a “Citizenship School.”

Jim Crow weaponized education, targeting illiterate Black people by intimidating them with written legal jargon often using literacy tests to determine if one was a citizen capable of voting. The school inspired multiple citizenship, literacy, and comprehensive health care programs throughout the South.

The Jenkins’ understood hardships are part of life, but didn’t allow moments meant to test them shake their faith.

As a community, we’ve been tested repeatedly throughout COVID, and it’s likely we’ll be tested more. Now’s the time to get grounded – to pray, worship, manifest, conjure.

Like the Jenkins’ we must believe higher powers have us, and just like our spirits are being poured into, we must pour into our communities.