In 2017, Councilor Jenkins became the first openly transgender Black woman elected to public office in the United States. Councilor Jenkins represents the 8th Ward of Minneapolis, which includes George Floyd Square.

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.

“Councilor Jenkins’ history-making election and public service have demonstrated the power and importance of her leadership in Minneapolis and nationally,” said Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Policy & Political Affairs, JoDee Winterhof. “Her work advocating for and advancing LGBTQ+ equality has made a difference for the residents of the City of Minneapolis and across the state of Minnesota, home to more than 175,000 LGBTQ+ adults. Councilor Jenkins has long been an important community leader and a voice for change, and this was especially so in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. Her calls for racism to be treated as a public health crisis helped to illuminate the direct link between discrimination and violence, exemplified by the epidemic of violent deaths faced by transgender Americans, specifically transgender women of color. The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Councilor Jenkins for re-election to ensure Minneapolis continues to benefit from her remarkable leadership.”