James Jenkins
Summary
James Jenkins was among the first of four African Americans to integrate North Pike High School in Pike County, Mississippi in 1965. He was born in a small rural town in Pike County, Mississippi. He was the third of 8 siblings. Mr. James Jenkins grew up on a small farm in Pike County, on the outskirts of McComb. He attended Prentiss Institute, and Jackson State University, where he earned his Master's degree. Mr. Jenkins taught history and served in a variety of lead administrator roles in the McComb School District before retiring in 2020. At the time of this interview, Mr. Jenkins ran a large chicken farm in Summit, Mississippi.
Note: This interview follows a previous interview with James Jenkins conducted by students at McComb HIgh School in McComb, Mississippi 12-years earlier on March 11, 2010 as published on Telling Their Stories: Oral History Archives Project. Convent & Stuart Hall students frequently reference the earlier interview.
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Date: March 30, 2022
Interviewers:
Jacob Goodman, Stuart Hall High School, Class of 2022
Daniel Hawkins-Collins, Stuart Hall High School, Class of 2022
Robert “Bo” Darwin, Stuart Hall High School, Class of 2022
Sage Gould, Convent High School, Class of 2022
Marco Schinella, Stuart Hall High School, Class of 2022
Finley Simon, Convent High School, Class of 2022
Jesse Steyer, Stuart Hall High School, Class of 2022
Jackson Jung, Stuart Hall High School, Class of 2022
Instructor: Howard Levin, Director of Educational Innovation
Support Team - Mississippi School of the Arts, Brookhaven, Mississippi
John Kelly Shelburne, Media Arts Instructor
Patrick Brown, Technology Coordinator
Avery Peagler, Principal
Instructor: Vickie Malone, Social Studies Instructor
Location: Recorded via Zoom teleconferencing system. Chude Pam Allen was at her home in San Francisco, California. The interview team was in their separate homes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area during the “shelter in place” order due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duration: 94 min
James_Jenkins-3-30-2022-1920x1080.mp4Click image above to access video of the full interview.
