Martha Jenkins

by Lynette Hanson
Photo by William Patrick Butler
Febuary 1, 2006

There's no way you'd take your first look at Martha Jenkins and think, "This woman is 41 years old and has three children, ages 9, 8 and 6." No way. And while all of that is true, it's not the whole picture.
Besides being a volunteer at the two schools her children attend, Woodville Heights and Timberlawn Elementary Schools, Jenkins counts herself a spoken-word artist, the coordinator of Jackson's Community Kwanzaa Coalition and a "locktician." "I only deal with locks, twists and natural hair, no chemicals," she explained.

To Jenkins, community is important but something we tend to take for granted. "We need to be in a mode of appreciation for every aspect of life," she told me. As coordinator of Jackson's Community Kwanzaa Coalition, Jenkins gets plenty of chances to appreciate life, way beyond the celebration between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. "Kwanzaa has a communitarian character," Jenkins explained, going on. "If someone brings up a need, a cause, an effort or a celebration, we get involved."

Made up of roughly nine different organizations, the Coalition is made up of people who have already worked together for years and who are constantly growing as well. Three new groups—The Mothers and Daughters of Sankofa, the Jackson Advocate, and the Jackson Police Department—joined the Coalition during the 2005 Celebration. Jenkins believes people should lend a hand. When you support people, you help not to say that you did, but to be useful. "I becomes we, and we is so much better than I," Jenkins said.

Jenkins grew up in Winston County. After graduating from Louisville High School, she studied cosmetology at what was then known as East Central Junior College. She's lived in California and came to Jackson from Cleveland, Ohio. Jenkins likes what she sees in Jackson. "We've got a long way to go, but Jackson has all the elements needed for anything to be a success, especially if it has value and worth. If it has, then Jackson is a city that can handle just about anything," she said.

Jenkins straightens out those who ask what she's doing in such a small place. "It's only small in the mind if you let it be. In the two years that I've been here, I've seen it grow. I remember when there was no poetry. Now I remember one time when there were three poetry events going on at once." She is thrilled by the growing community support in Jackson.

"It's just right. I love it," she told me, her voice firm and enthusiastic.

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