Martinsville moving forward by looking back

The murder of 20-year-old Carol Jenkins-Davis on Sept. 16, 1968, has become a symbol often used to levy accusations of racism and bigotry against Martinsville over the years. It’s an incident cited in books, documentaries, news articles and broadcasts. What seems to have gotten lost, however, is Jenkins-Davis herself and the memory of the Rushville resident who had dreams and a full life ahead of her. 

Martinsville Mayor Shannon Kohl and Rushville Mayor Mike Pavey together have plans to start remedying that decades-long oversight with two remembrance events in honor of Jenkins-Davis.

Rushville will rename and rededicate its recently redesigned Community Park as the Carol Jenkins-Davis Park on Nov. 1 while Martinsville will dedicate a memory stone for Jenkins-Davis in the garden in front of City Hall on Nov. 2.

“Over the years, it’s something that we have had to live with and endure because it happened here, even though ... most people don’t know that the guy that did it was not from here and he was traveling through town,” Kohl said. “People have had to live with it for a long time and I don’t think we’ve ever really acknowledged Carol Jenkins(-Davis’) life meant something and her family means something, that her life had value. ... We’ve forgotten that she is a person.”

Kohl said she thinks that acknowledgment is something Martinsville needs to do in order to move forward. She said she has had some contact with Jenkins-Davis’ family and believes they still grieve for their daughter. Kohl said she hopes the events can help them, and both communities, begin to heal.

“With Carol’s murder happening in Martinsville, those residents have had to endure criticism through the years,” Pavey said in a press release. “I think it’s a courageous move by mayor Kohl to embrace the opportunity to move her community forward by honoring Carol’s life and her family’s love and commitment to Carol’s memory.

“The Community Park closest to Carol’s home where she grew up was already set for a redesign. At that point, as city leaders, we began to consider the park redesign as an opportunity to dedicate it in Carol’s memory. We wanted the redesigned park to be unique, reflective and educational. The integration of Carol’s story was the perfect fit at the perfect time as an appropriate tribute to her. Our redesigned park recognizes Carol’s life had value and her story will live as an opportunity to teach future generations the value of inclusion and diversity,” Pavey said in the release.

Kohl said the placement of the stone — which reads “In memory of Carol Jenkins-Davis” and has her birth date and death date — in front of City Hall was the right choice as it will be more easily visible than in a city park. She also noted its proximity to the Veterans Memorial.

In early 2014, a memorial was proposed and approved by the Morgan County Board of Commissioners for Jenkins-Davis to sit in front of the Morgan County Courthouse. The approval was rescinded several days later after the board received “a lot of static,” according to commissioner Norman Voyles in a Reporter-Times article at the time.

Kohl, who moved to Martinsville when she was around 10 years old and was not born until after Jenkins-Davis’ murder, said she had a number of memories from growing up with the stigma shrouding the town. She said it wasn’t until she was a little older that she began to understand why people would distance themselves after finding out where she lived.

“I found out later on, in my teenage years, what happened and that Martinsville is labeled racist,” she said. “Since I’ve been a teenager, that’s how we’ve been perceived and I don’t think we are. I think that we welcome diversity. ... I think we’ve come a long way.”

Part of the stigma, Kohl believes, stems from not coming to terms with the city’s past. The timing for the Martinsville and Rushville events have aligned to help the communities and Jenkins-Davis’ family move forward, she said.

“I think that incident has defined us. ... It’s an actual event that happened, and it happened here, and I think we’ve tried not to talk about it because it’s painful to talk about,” Kohl said.

The mayor said she recently spoke to a woman who was upset for not being personally invited to and involved with the memory stone dedication.

“What I want people to understand is this event is for people who have lived with this for 50 years to be able to maybe get some closure and some peace, but it’s not about them. It’s about Carol Jenkins(-Davis) and her family and acknowledging that her life had value and that we recognize that,” Kohl said. “It is for our community to heal, but it’s not about any individual people. It’s about our community as a whole.”

Kohl said the stone dedication is a public event and everyone is welcome, except for anyone looking to start trouble.

The memory stone dedication for Jenkins-Davis will take place at 1 p.m. Nov. 2 in front of Martinsville City Hall, 59 S. Jefferson St.