COVER STORY
would say, more serious concerns aside and just enjoy each other’s company. Williams: Now I’m gonna get technical, what kind of cigars (sticks) do you like? Jenkins: I gotta tell you, I believe when it comes to cigars and libations, I don’t really discriminate. I really don’t. Now, if you ask me about my palate, what I tend to gravitate towards and what I purchase myself is exclusively Cuban cigars. That’s exclusively what I purchase. Because Brothers know that I like cigars.“Not only am I often gifted them from within the fraternity, but by clients, lawyers, and other people who I work with in my professional life. In my personal collection, which probably is about 5,000 ‘sticks,’ I pretty much have cigars that were grown and produced from every corner of the globe. There are many times where I might grab a Dominican or a Honduran cigar to smoke. Similar to libations, I don’t exclusively drink single malt scotch, although that may be my favorite. Williams: Is anything you want to add before we conclude? Jenkins: I touched on it
earlier, I often say this when I talk about my member- ship and how fortunate I am. I’ll never lose sight of the fact that in October 1991, when I showed up to the smoker on the campus of Howard University, there were 350 men who were also there seeking mem- bership. We all knew that at best the line would be somewhere in the 20-some- thing range. At best. I was a graduating senior so my prospects were even slimmer than some of the underclassmen that were there and for whatever reason, I was chosen as one of those 20, so do the math. That’s somewhere around a five-percent acceptance rate. Which means, 95% of the aspiring men who showed up were told ‘No. Oh no.’ When you put that into perspective and look at seven guys at a time when it required a 90% affirmative vote to make it, they saw something in you. Every day, you should live to validate that decision. What Washington Alumni has done for me with this most recent dedication is right up there with the centennial honor. I have to continue to validate their decision to earn that right. I’m commit- ted to doing that. As I travel, people say,
‘if you only know the DMV experience, you only know the Eastern Province experience, you might not fully appreciate how Brothers around the country, particularly in smaller chapters look upon Washington Alumni being this great, almost mythic-type thing.’ When they see me, it’s like, ‘wow, so you’re from Xi Chapter? You’re DC Alumni?’ I mean, they already come with an unbelievable expectation that I’m supposed to be
something in their eyes, but it’s one I welcome. The chapter also added that for me. It gives me one more reason to continue to work, to continue to try to meet the expectations of the Brothers who see fit to do this and to carry on the legacy. When people associate my name with Washington Alumni, I want them to do the same with my name in XI Chapter, of honoring that legacy and validating the decision of these Brothers. ♦
SUMMER 2024 ♦ THE JOURNAL 33
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