Martin David Jenkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin David Jenkins
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| 6th President of Morgan State College | |
| In office 1948–1970 |
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| Preceded by | Dwight O.W. Holmes |
| Succeeded by | King Virgil Cheek |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 4, 1904 Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Died | June 9, 1978 (aged 73) Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Lacy |
| Alma mater | Howard University Indiana State University Northwestern University |
| Profession | Education |
Martin David Jenkins (born September 4, 1904 – died June 9, 1978) was an American educator and researcher. He is well-known for his important work that questioned old ideas about race and intelligence.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Martin Jenkins was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. His parents were David and Josephine Jenkins. He went to public schools that were only for Black students at first. Later, he attended Wiley High School, which had students of all races.
While at Wiley High School, Martin was the captain of the track team. He was a very fast runner! He even set records in Vigo County for the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 220-yard dashes. He finished high school in 1921.
His Family Life
In September 1927, Martin Jenkins married Elizabeth Lacy.
A Career in Education
Martin Jenkins earned his first degree in mathematics from Howard University in 1925. After college, he worked with his father building highway bridges for a few years. At the same time, he studied at Indiana State College (now Indiana State University). There, he earned a degree to become a teacher.
He also taught for a short time at Virginia State College. In 1932, he received a special scholarship to attend Northwestern University. This was the first time a Black American had received such a scholarship at that university. He earned his Master's degree in 1933 and his Ph.D. (a very high degree) in Education in 1935.
Challenging Ideas About Intelligence
For his Ph.D., Martin Jenkins studied under Professor Paul A. Witty. His main research looked at "Negro Children of Superior Intelligence." This work was very important for understanding how people learn and think.
Jenkins's research helped to show that the common idea that Black people were less intelligent than white people was wrong. He studied IQ tests and proved that intelligence levels were similar across different races.
Leading a University
After getting his Ph.D., Jenkins worked at several colleges. He was a professor at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical College. He also served as Dean of Instruction at Cheyney State Teachers College. From 1938 to 1948, he taught education at his old school, Howard University.
In 1948, Martin Jenkins became the president of Morgan State College (now Morgan State University) in Maryland. This was during the Civil Rights era. He believed the college should stay out of politics, even though many students wanted the school to support the Civil Rights Movement. He left Morgan State in 1970.
Later, he worked for the American Council on Education. He also helped as a consultant in higher education. Throughout his career, Jenkins wrote over 80 articles and gave talks around the world. He shared his research on intelligence testing with help from the U.S. State Department.
Important Research and Discoveries
Martin Jenkins's most famous research was his study on "Negro Children of Superior Intelligence." This was one of the first studies to focus on highly intelligent Black children. He studied children in Chicago, Illinois, from grades 3 to 8.
Proving Intelligence in Black Children
Jenkins found that highly intelligent Black children were not rare at all. He showed that when Black children had good chances for education and cultural growth, their intelligence levels were just as high as white children's. His work proved that being Black did not limit a person's intelligence, which was a big step forward.
The Story of 'B'
Working with his mentor, Paul Witty, Jenkins also wrote about "The Case of 'B'—A Gifted Negro Girl." This was a detailed study of a nine-year-old girl from Chicago. Her IQ score was very high, at 187.
Jenkins and Witty described her life, her success in school, her interests, and her home life. They noted that "B" answered questions quickly and made smart connections. This study further showed that Black individuals could have very high intelligence.
Understanding Mental Abilities
In 1939, Jenkins published another important article called "The Mental Ability of the American Negro." In this paper, he argued against comparing intelligence between Black and white groups directly.
He showed that there was a lot of overlap in IQ scores between Black and white people. He also pointed out that differences in intelligence within a group (like among Black people) were much larger than differences between groups (like between Black and white people). This meant that many Black and white people had similar intelligence scores.
Awards and Honors
Martin Jenkins received many awards for his important work. The Liberian Government made him a Knight of the Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption. He was also honored by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare and Housing and Urban Development.
He received the Andrew White Medal from Loyola College. The Department of the Army also gave him the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.
Many universities gave him honorary doctorates, which are special degrees. These included the University of Liberia, Delaware State College, Howard University, Indiana State University, Johns Hopkins University, Lincoln University, and Morgan State College.
His Lasting Legacy
In 1974, Morgan State College honored Martin David Jenkins by naming a building after him. It is called the Martin David Jenkins Behavior Science Center. This shows how important his work was to the college and to the field of education.
