Tangled Roots: A Brief History of Johns Island and Janie and Esau Jenkins

As the title of this series, Tangled Roots, implies, we are all interconnected, and this is especially true in the deeply rooted community of Johns Island. These shared bonds emerge from priorities based in faith, family and community; they reveal a resilient spirit of activism with a focus on egalitarianism.

As an introduction to the Tangled Roots Unit curriculum, this video provides a brief history of Johns Island, SC followed by a brief biography of Janie and Esau Jenkins from the memories of their grandchildren. This introductory video allows educators to set the context for students as to the history that leads up to the time where the six oral histories, begin.

The oral histories included as part of the Tangled Roots project are an intimate, and sometimes painful, look into the experiences, memories and personal stories of the five participants. New generations will view these oral histories inside classrooms to learn more about the history and importance of Johns Island from those who experienced it firsthand.

Lesson 1: Dr. Blake https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots1
Lesson 2: Alma Lopez https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots2
Lesson 3: Thomas Legare https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots3
Lesson 4: Bill Saunders https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots4
Lesson 5: Bill Jenkins https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots5
Lesson 6: Minerva King https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots6

Accompanying lesson plans are available for educators to download at https://hcfsc.info/tangledroots

The Tangled Roots project was made possible by the generosity of Laura Stringfellow Wilson who selected Historic Charleston Foundation as a beneficiary of the Elizabeth H. Stringfellow Estate. Ms. Wilson designated that these funds from her mother’s estate be put towards a Johns Island focused program to benefit local students and schools. This project was produced and filmed by Thesis Content.