Jenkins
DURHAM, NC — A bright soul in a dark place. A college cheerleader full of spirit, full of hope, no worries other than nailing the cheer routines and every college class test. But April-Autumn Jenkins never knew that
Within her story are a few hugely inspirational ladies. One is a friend in Austin with whom “They wrapped their arms around me,” just as her professors did. One, in particular, Dr. Rosalee Martin, is a professor that “I was a little black girl educating thousands of students on sexual violence who came to A&M in undergraduate and graduate programs. That for me was amazing…as a person who wasn’t believed by another institution in Texas and had the opportunity to educate them about this issue was mind-blowing.” After Texas A&M, Jenkins knew that it was time to branch out on her own. Soon enough, the idea emerged for her brand to be called Sparks, a verb that leads her to ask her crowds, “What will April Autumn spark for you?” She continues to build her brand of empowerment, to help black girls like her who felt lost and had their identity stripped away because of situations that robbed them of their purpose in life. “When you have purpose, but don’t have the education or experience to pull it off, you must start with the education. I had to get HT under my belt,” Then, there were smaller groups such as classmates. One classmates’ event, in particular, is where Jenkins finds that When it comes to self-care, Jenkins also takes it seriously. “I don’t think black women do it enough. We take care of everyone else but neglect taking care of ourselves.” Despite her dark days that resulted in a child for which “I moved from just April to April-Autumn to deal with the harvest part of life. April is springtime and planting. I might not see the harvest in people, but I know that there is one. I’m the planter and was born to be the planter. I’m hoping that I’m being the harvest of the seeds that someone planted in me.” One seed has to be from her family. Jenkins shared a touching story of her terminally-ill dad before he passed away. According to her dad, For all the tears “This is my purpose. I’m operating in my purpose. When I know that this is something God is pleased with, then I’m good.” ###
