Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins

Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins served two terms as president of the League of Women Voters of the United States. She served as Vice President of the League of Women Voters of the United States from 1996-1998 before being elected president in 1998. Jefferon-Jenkis served as national president from 1998-2002. She is the only woman of color to have served as national president in the organization's first one hundred years.

Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins
Born
Carolyn Jefferson

September 19, 1952[1]
Academic background
EducationCleveland State University, Ph.D.
Kent State University, M.Ed.
Kent State University, Ed.S.
Western College for Women, B.A.
Alma materCleveland State University
ThesisAn historical analysis of the relationship between the Great Migration and the administrative policies and practices of racial isolation in the Cleveland public schools, 1920-1940 (1991)

Early life and education

Jefferson-Jenkins was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] She grew up during the American civil rights movement and was inspired by the movement to become active in civics.[2][3] Jefferson-Jenkins attended Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio and graduated with a B.A. education and political science in 1974. She went on to earn an M.Ed. from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and an Ed.S. from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. She graduated with her doctorate from Cleveland State University in 1991,[4] focusing her dissertation work on analyzing the role of administration on racial isolation in Cleveland public schools in the early twentieth century.[5]

Career

She worked in the Cleveland public schools starting in 1979 until 1993, and then served as principal of Taylor Academy until 1995. Jefferson-Jenkins was a vice president of Junior Achievement starting in 1995 and was promoted to a vice president in 1996; she left the organization in 1998.[4] Jefferson-Jenkins filed a suit against Junior Achievement for race discrimination in 1999,[6] the suit was settled in 2002. After leaving Junior Achievement she went on to work for the National Center for Education and the Economy, the University of Colorado at Denver and retired from Douglas County Schools Colorado. She now works with the Center for Racial Justice in Education. [7]

Jefferson-Jenkins joined the League of Women Voters in 1982, and she led a 1996 "Get Out the Vote" campaign, which registered more than 50,000 voters nationally.[3] In 1998 she was elected as the 15th President of the League of Women Voters[3] and subsequently elected to a second term as president; she served from 1998-2002.[8][9] She was the first woman of African descent to serve as president to the league.[10] While Jefferson-Jenkins served as president, the league helped pass the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in 2002, which closed loopholes in campaign finance.[11][12] She also spoke on the need for campaign finance,[13] worked to increase voting using public awareness ads,[14] sought to broaden participation in democracy,[15] and established a means to increase membership in the League of Women Voters.[16] In 2001, Jefferson-Jenkins moderated the Denver segment of a televised Town Hall meeting where Kofi Annan spoke to help people living in the United States better understand the role of the United Nation in fighting terrorism.[17]

In 2014, she moved to North Carolina to work at the Hunt Institute.[18] Since 2018 Jefferson-Jenkins has worked as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[19]

Awards and honors

In 2001, Distinguished Alumni Award Civic Engagement - Cleveland State University, In 2010, Girl Scouts of Colorado named Jefferson-Jenkins one of eleven "Women of Distinction".[20] In 2020, Jefferson-Jenkins became the third recipient of the Freedom Summer 1964 Award from Miami University[21][22] Jefferson-Jenkins was the 2021 commencement speaker at Miami University[23][19] and received an honorary doctorate during that event.[24] She was also a recipient of the "Civic Leadership Award" from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.[25]

Selected publications
  • Jefferson, Carolyn; Cleveland State University; League of Women Voters of Cleveland; Educational Fund (1991). One man, one vote: the history of the African-American vote in the United States. Cleveland, OH: LWVCEF in cooperation with Cleveland State University. OCLC 7961981815.
  • Jefferson-Jenkins, Carolyn (2020). The untold story of women of color in the League of Women Voters. Gracia Hillman. Santa Barbara, California. ISBN 978-1-4408-7450-5. OCLC 1131897150.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References
  1. Smith, Jessie Carney (1992). Notable Black American women. Internet Archive. Detroit : Gale Research. pp. 321–323. ISBN 978-0-8103-4749-6.
  2. Sun Press: September 18, 1993, The Gazette: July 3, 1998
  3. Sampson, Ovotta (July 3, 1998). "Local woman takes helm of national voters league". newspaperarchive.com. pp. , . Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  4. Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins. OCLC 4779813135.
  5. Jefferson, Carolyn; Cleveland State University; College of Education (1991). An historical analysis of the relationship between the Great Migration and the administrative policies and practices of racial isolation in the Cleveland public schools, 1920-1940. OCLC 740908550. ProQuest 303994571.
  6. Sampson, Ovetta (20 July 1999). "Former Junior Achievement exec files suit alleging discrimination". The Gazette; Colorado Springs, Colo. [Colorado Springs, Colo] – via ProQuest.
  7. Bortnick, Barry (1 March 2000). "Race bias suit settled/ Sum paid by Junior Achievement undisclosed". The Gazette; Colorado Springs, Colo. [Colorado Springs, Colo] – via ProQuest.
  8. Gustafson, Kristin (2000-06-21). "League of Women Votes reelects chief over endorsed St. Paul woman". Star Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  9. Blake, Barbara (2000-05-21). "President: League of Women Voters vital". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. 29. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  10. Sampson, Ovetta (3 July 1998). "Local woman takes helm of national voters league". The Gazette; Colorado Springs, Colo. [Colorado Springs, Colo] – via ProQuest.
  11. "Women voters pass 82 years of activism". newspaperarchive.com. February 22, 2002. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  12. Clymer, Adam (2001-07-14). "A Small Victory That Could Mean Defeat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  13. Jones, Grayden (20 June 1999). "SPEAKER CRITICIZES CAMPAIGNS WOMEN VOTERS PRESIDENT EMPHASIZES REFORM". Spokesman Review; Spokane, Wash. [Spokane, Wash]. pp. B1 – via ProQuest.
  14. Fass, Allison (2000-06-13). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; Conde Nast, the League of Women Voters and Oldsmobile join forces to urge women to vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  15. Williams, Melissa (18 May 2000). "NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF WOMEN VOTERS SPEAKS SATURDAY". Asheville Citizen - Times; Asheville, N.C. [Asheville, N.C]. pp. B1 – via ProQuest.
  16. Lam, Tina (2 October 2000). "LEAGUE TRIES TO EDUCATE ALL VOTER GROUP BROADENS MEMBERSHIP, APPROACH". Detroit Free Press; Detroit, Mich. [Detroit, Mich]. pp. B3 – via ProQuest.
  17. "Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to the American people via satellite as part of a national Town Hall meeting, sponsored by the Better World Campaign. | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. October 11, 2001. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  18. "Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, Ph.D." Women's Forum of North Carolina. 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  19. Lordan, Claire (May 5, 2021). "Who is Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins?". Miami Quarterly. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  20. Davidson, Joanne (2010-08-23). "Aiming high to honor Women of Distinction". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  21. "Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins to receive Freedom Summer of '64 Award". February 10, 2020.
  22. Wingartner, Tana (2020-03-02). "Freedom Summer Awardees To Be Honored For Championing Voting Rights". WVXU. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  23. Mitchell, Madeline (7 April 2021). "Several local universities plan graduations for class of 2020". Cincinnati Enquirer; Cincinnati, Ohio [Cincinnati, Ohio]. pp. A7 – via ProQuest.
  24. "Always a dreamer, Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins receives honorary doctorate". www.miamialum.org. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  25. "League Of Women Voters President Participates In NAACP 91st Annual Convention". U.S. Newswire. July 12, 2000.
  • Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins Collection, Miami University Archives, Oxford, Ohio, archival collection of Dr. Jefferson-Jenkins papers held at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives.
  • Rise and Advocate: The Power of the Vote, video recording of research presentation on Dr. Jefferson-Jenkins by Candace Pine, Manuscripts Librarian, Miami University.
  • C-SPAN Appearances, video recordings of C-SPAN appearances featuring Dr. Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins.
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