The above image, Portrait of TeJan Adris Jenkins, was created by artist Elisa Abeloff as part of the Souls Shot Portrait Project 2021-2022 Exhibition.
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TeJan Adris Jenkins had a good life. While his West Philadelphia neighborhood wasn’t the best, “he had great exposure to the world,” his mother Terry Jenkins said.
“TeJan had a passport. He’s traveled all over and he was privy to a lot of great things in life. He had so many opportunities in front of him.”
Born July 20, 2001 in Philadelphia, TeJan was Terry’s second child and her first and only son. Growing up, he was involved in a host of programs and activities, including the Steve Harvey Mentoring Camp in Texas and 100 Black Men, a civic organization aimed at empowering African American children and teens.
He also wrestled, swam, played football, tap danced and practiced tae kwon do. He wasn’t very competitive, though, and he gave up on himself easily.
But Terry wasn’t going to give up on her son. TeJan became interested in barbering at a young age — his first job was helping out at a barber shop — and Terry encouraged him to pursue it.
He enrolled in North Philly’s Junior Barber Academy, a four-week introductory program that prepares participants for barber school. He nearly quit the program due to negative outside influences, but he stuck with it. His dream of owning his own barber shop was coming into focus.
“He shared with me that he was proud that he completed it,” Terry said. “He was extremely proud. It was a very, very big deal.”
TeJan had been to plenty of tropical places, like the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and The Bahamas, but Orlando, Florida remained at the top of his list. In the summer of 2020, TeJan was looking forward to his next Orlando trip, which was scheduled for August. He loved the warm weather and the adrenaline rush from theme park rides.
TeJan didn’t realize that Terry had arranged a birthday surprise for him: His two favorite cousins, Alexis and Brooke, were coming, too, and they imagined how shocked and happy TeJan would be when they popped up at the airport.
They were supposed to leave on Aug. 1. But on July 24, 2020, TeJan was fatally shot at 39th and Brown in West Philadelphia. Police have not yet made any arrests.
Less than a month later, on Aug. 27, 2020, TeJan’s cousin Jasmine Lewis, a talented college basketball player, was struck by gunfire as she drove through Germantown. Jasmine was among the family members who gathered at the hospital the night TeJan was killed.
“My family has been through trauma, trauma and more trauma,” Terry said. “I’ll never recover from this pain.”
Terry misses hearing TeJan and his 29-year-old sister joking around and playing, his booming voice carrying through the house.
After TeJan passed, Terry heard from many people who knew him throughout his life, from officials in the juvenile justice system to his Head Start teacher who had not seen him in 15 years.
“They knew he was a good kid and a decent person,” she said. “They all knew how hard I tried and how much I went through to keep this from happening.”
“I want him to be remembered as the person I raised him to be, not who the streets thought he was.”
In addition to his mother, sister, cousins and extended family, TeJan is survived by a baby daughter.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
A reward of up to $20,000 is available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for TeJan’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Date: 2020-07-24
Location: 800 N 39th St, Philadelphia, PA
