Hilliard P. Jenkins

Hilliard P. Jenkins (February 29, 1922 - August 23, 1992) was an American farmer, philanthropist, and civic leader. His family homestead, located in Loxley, Alabama, was considered one of the state's richest farms, and he earned distinction for his agricultural techniques. Jenkins also maintained leadership positions in a number of statewide and county organizations, including the Alabama Democratic Conference.

Farm life One of 10 children, Jenkins was a lifelong resident of Loxley. His father, John Wesley Jenkins, purchased a turpentine farm in 1926. After his death in 1935, the custody of the farm fell to Jenkins' mother, Amelia Taylor Jenkins, and the older Jenkins children.

Over the next two and a half decades, Amelia oversaw the dramatic growth of the farm into a enterprise. When Jenkins came of age, he became general manager of the farm and continued to increase the farm's productivity, all while cultivating a wide variety of crops that enjoyed harvests throughout the entire growing season.

During his youth, Jenkins, despite a lack of formal agricultural training, had a knack for learning the best scientific farming practices. His self-taught knowledge of agricultural methods and their application helped make the farm a vastly profitable enterprise that earned the Jenkins prestige among farmers white and black. He also garnered the Negro Farm Family Merit Award, bestowed by the Tuskegee Institute in 1952. The Jenkins' financial and social stature gained them national press in Ebony magazine.

Legacy Jenkins' legacy is carried on by his four children, 12 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and numerous citizens throughout Alabama and the South.

In late 2009, the consulting group Frontline Solutions established the Hilliard P. Jenkins Undergraduate Fellowship Program as a way to honor the Alabama farmer. The program, designed for students who excel in the areas of social justice and entrepreneurship, orients Fellows to the work of empowering low-income communities through the organic, grassroots approach forged by Jenkins.