“The First Lady of Children’s Music,” Ella Jenkins revolutionized children’s music as an instrument for social justice. Chicago Children’s Museum hosted a celebration honoring her life and legacy as an American singer-songwriter, performer, and educator from Chicago’s South Side. The event featured a conversation between author Gayle Wald and DePaul University Professor Francesca Royster, discussing Jenkin’s biography This is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement.
In 1997-98, the Museum collaborated with Jenkins to display her personal collection of spinning tops and recently added them to their permanent collection. MacArthur supported the preservation of these artifacts, so they would be accessible to future generations of children and families in Chicago, where she lived and worked until age 100. The museum is developing a new exhibit featuring the collection.
Photo courtesy of ellajenkins.com
