Wilkinson was an active participant in the Washington, D.C. African American community, including joining several fraternal organizations such as the Colored Masonic Lodge and attending Israel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. He served as one of the few African American members of the District of Columbia School Board of Trustees. At his death, his obituary in the Washington Bee said he "belonged to that rare set of colored leaders in this city, who accomplished great things without notice and the blare of trumpets, things affecting the education needs of the race as well as their civil and political rights".
