On February 22nd, 2011 Ella Jenkins' new album, A Life of Song, was released by Smithsonian Folkways and the National Museum of African American History and Culture as part of the African American Legacy Series. At an education conference, fans discussed Ella's continuing legacy as an influential musician and teacher. This video features "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," a song included on the album.

African American Legacy Series: A Life of Song is available on CD and Digital.

In A Life of Song, Ella Jenkins, “The First Lady of Children’s Music,” offers stories and songs that speak to her youthful years as an African American child in a multi-cultural world. Her career of more than a half century earned her the first Lifetime Achievement Grammy award for a children’s music artist, and her more than thirty recordings teach us to learn from one another while taking pride in our own heritage. This African American Legacy recording of Ella singing with children from the Cool Classics after-school program spotlights her own heritage while showing her delight for the traditions of others.