Dorothy Irene Height – Civil Rights & Women’s Rights Activist

The family of 20-year-old Black college sophomore at Texas Tech, Erskin Jenkins has convened a national delegation calling for justice, beginning with a full investigation into his death. The group, which includes the families of #MikeBrownJr (Ferguson), #GlennFosterJr (former New Orleans Saints player killed in Alabama), and #AndrewJosephIII (14-year-old killed by sheriffs’ action in Tampa), is organizing a week of action that includes community engagement and a press conference. Anchoring organizations are Black Lives Matter Grassroots, NAACP Lubbock Branch, and Lubbock Coalition for Black Democrats. 

WHAT: Press Conference for Erskin Jenkins

WHEN: Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM

WHERE: TJ Patterson Memorial Plaza (East Plaza of Citizens Tower)

1314 Ave K, Lubbock, TX 79401

WHO: Sharon Jenkins – mother of #ErskinJenkins, Michael Jenkins – uncle of #ErskinJenkins, Michael Brown, Sr. – father of #MichaelBrownJr, Glenn Sr. and Sabring Foster- parents of #GlennFosterJr, Andrew Joseph, Jr. – father of #AndrewJosephIII, Dr. Melina Abdullah – co-founder of Black Lives Matter Grassroots, Phyllis Gant – NAACP Lubbock Branch, Anne Keel – Lubbock Coalition for Black Democrats, Pastor Deshun Avery – First Progressive Baptist Church

Erskin Jenkins majored in psychology at Texas Tech and hails from The Woodlands, Texas. On November 23, 2024, police were called while he was attending a pre-Thanksgiving gathering at a classmate’s apartment. A Lubbock County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Erskin. District Attorney Sunshine Stanek has refused to prosecute the case. The family and supporters are demanding that the case be reopened and fully investigated.

Thursday’s press conference is part of a week of action that also includes campus awareness raising, a call campaign, a petition drop, and an event to feed the unhoused in Erskin’s honor. The participating delegation includes dozens of family members and supporters, many of them Lubbock residents and others from Houston, Dallas, Huntsville (AL), Tampa (FL), Ferguson (MO), and Los Angeles (CA).