The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) congratulates Minneapolis City Councilor Andrea Jenkins on her re-election. Jenkins, who became the first openly transgender Black woman elected to public office in 2017, was endorsed for re-election by HRC PAC earlier this year. She represents the 8th Ward of Minneapolis, which includes George Floyd Square.

Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof issued the following statement:

“The people of Minneapolis, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, have been well-served by Councilor Jenkins. We are delighted that she will continue to serve for four more years. In the wake of George Floyd’s death, it was Councilor Jenkins who led the fight for racial and social justice. She understands firsthand the challenges facing transgender people today, especially transgender women of color. She has never stopped fighting on behalf of those on the margins of society and against the systemic racism and injustices that pervade our world. We congratulate her on her victory tonight. We look forward to continuing to work with her in the years to come.”

Last year, Councilor Jenkins launched a “Pledge to End Violence Against Black and Brown Transgender Women” as part of the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender Justice Initiative. Prior to her election, Councilor Jenkins served as the oral historian for the Transgender Oral History Project at the University of Minnesota Libraries, documenting the lived experiences of transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the Upper Midwest and the United States. Her work as a poet and artist includes collections such as Queer Voices: Poetry, Prose and Pride (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2019), A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2016), and Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2015.