Rear bus panel used by Esau Jenkins and the Progressive Club of Johns Island
date: label: Date
content: 1966; altered 1967
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Volkswagen, German, founded 1937
label: Used by
content: Esau Jenkins, American, 1910 - 1972
label: Subject of
content: The Progressive Club, American, 1948 - 1989
notes: label: Caption
content: The influential civil rights activists Esau and Janie B. Jenkins devoted their lives to the uplift of their Johns Island community. In 1948, the Jenkins helped to form the Progressive Club, a community social and activist organization. The Club served as a community center and grocery store in addition to providing literacy education and childcare for the racially oppressed and impoverished community of Johns Island. Under the leadership of Septima Clark and Bernice Robinson, the Jenkins developed the first Citizenship School at the Club in 1957 and helped to register thousands of Black voters across the Sea Islands.
label: Caption
content: This panel is from a 1966 Volkswagon microbus used by Esau Jenkins to provide transportation for the island residents. Jenkins used the bus rides to teach the passengers how to read and provided the education needed to pass voter registration tests designed to prevent African Americans from voting. Jenkins hand-painted his personal motto, "Love is Progress, Hate is Expensive," on the panel.
label: Caption
content: In 2019, the remaining microbus was excavated, preserved, and added to the National Historic Vehicle Register by the Jenkins family along with the Historic Vehicle Association, The NB Center for American Automative Heritage, and the Hagerty Drivers Foundation.
label: Description
content: The rear lift panel to a 1966 Volkswagen Transporter microbus used by Esau and Janie B. Jenkins for the Progressive Club on John's Island, South Carolina. The panel is painted white at the top and green at the bottom. A large window is in the top half of the panel. Painted below the window with white paint is the motto “LOVE IS PROGRESS / HATE IS EXPENSIVE” and "HELP OUR SCHOLARSHIP FUND."
place: label: Place used
content: Johns Island, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Associations and institutions
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Communities
label: Topic
content: Education
label: Topic
content: Justice
label: Topic
content: Rural life
label: Topic
content: Suffrage
label: Topic
content: Transportation
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Vehicles
label: Movement
content: Civil Rights Movement
label: Exhibition
content: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Esau and Janie Bell Jenkins Family
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2014.162.1
objectType: label: Type
content: access doors
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 30 5/8 × 50 1/4 × 3 3/4 in. (77.8 × 127.6 × 9.5 cm)