Jenkins once said, “I feel very strongly about making peace and love in the world.” And indeed, her biography notes, “Drawing on her own history of civil rights activism in the 1940s and 1950s, Ella used music as a tool for social activism. Through songs and rhythms that extolled values of antiracism, cultural pluralism, and environmentalism, she drew people together, challenging them to listen deeply to one another.”

Gayle Wald, a professor of American studies at George Washington University and the author of a forthcoming biography of Jenkins, noted, “She found this way of introducing children to sometimes very difficult topics and material, but with a kind of gentleness…She never lied to them. She certainly never talked down to them.”

One of Jenkins’ more well-known pieces was, “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song.” We don’t think anything would honor her memory more than stopping for a moment to join in singing.

Learn more about Ella Jenkin’s life, work and music on her website, ellajenkins.com.