Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkins is proud to be the first openly transgender black woman elected to public office in the U.S. But it's public service itself that gives the longtime city official and activist a sense of purpose.
"It's really a great honor to be included in those categories, but even more so to be able to sit in the Minneapolis City Council and represent my community on matters that are important to them and try to help people have better lives," Jenkins told Cheddar.
Jenkins is no political rookie. She worked as a staff member and policy aide for the Minneapolis City Council for 12 years before leaving City Hall briefly to focus on writing and activism.
She curated the Transgender Oral History Project for the University of Minnesota's Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies. The project compiled the stories of trans and gender non-conforming people in the upper Midwest.
Her poetry collection, The T is Not Silent: new and selected poems, about the plight and invisibility of the trans community, came out around the same time.
Jenkins decided to run for City Council in 2016 and was elected in 2018 along with Phillipe Cunningham, who is one of the first openly transgender men to be elected to public office.
Since then, she's helped pass a local ban on conversion therapy after the Minnesota state legislature failed to agree on the language for a statewide ban.
However, Jenkins isn't focused solely on LGBTQ issues though. The elected official has embraced her mandate to serve all of Minneapolis' needs.
"I've worked with different jurisdictions, the state government, the county government, seeking ways to end homelessness, to increase educational opportunities, to make sure that our roads and bridges are up to speed, to keep our eye focused on economic development, and to center communities of color in those conversations always," Jenkins said.
Jenkins' answer to solving the problem of violence against transgender people also encompasses broad-based economic policies.
"We stop this violence through creating more opportunities for trans and gender non-conforming people to have access to housing, to have access to full employment, to have opportunities for people to be a part of society," Jenkins said.
The lack of access to these resources and opportunities, she added, forces trans-people to the margins of society, where they are more likely to be exploited or threatened.
Looking beyond local politics, Jenkins cautiously voiced her support for Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar in the presidential election, though she said her personal choice was still an open question.
"We need a new president, so I will be supporting whoever is nominated in that process, whether it's Bernie Sanders, Mike Bloomberg, or whoever else," she said.
Spotify has announced its official Songs of the Summer predictions. Lea Palmieri, a Spotify trend expert and podcast host, joined Cheddar News to break down the acts who made the cut and how. “It's a mix of streaming data charts and also our global curation team," she said. "They're keeping an eye on all of the hottest music." While Harry Styles has recently topped the Spotify charts, Palmieri also addressed the "Feral Girl Summer" trend, which she described as going "moderately wild, having fun, enjoying yourself."
Catching you up on today's top entertainment stories with a recap from the 75th Annual Tony Awards, including red carpet interviews and Jennifer Hudson receiving her EGOT, and "Jurassic World: Dominion" topping the box office.
The Tony Awards made its sensational return to Radio City Music Hal for the first time since 2019. 'A Strange Loop' stole the show, winning Best Musical while Adrianna Debose hosted in the most spectacular way possible. Cheddar News was joined by Broadway Reporter Leigh Scheps to break down the 75th Annual Tony Awards.
U.S. stocks closed Thursday at their lowest levels of the trading day, as investors continue to eye inflation ahead of the May CPI report out Friday. Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist for National Holdings, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks closed Friday at session lows after May CPI data showed inflation in the U.S. has not peaked and is still rising rapidly. For the week, the S&P fell 5.06%, the Dow lost 4.58%, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.60%, marking the worst week since January for all three major indexes. Mike Zigmont, Head of Trading and Research at Harvest Volatility Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Auction house Christie's will be presenting "Legacy of the GOAT," which will include a rare Michael Jordan signed rookie card and sneakers. Caitlin Donovan, the vice president of Christie's handbags and accessories department. joined Cheddar News to discuss the special memorabilia selection for the NBA great. "He's been a global phenomenon, so he's really shaped '90s culture and streetwear culture," she said. "And we see bidders from every pocket in the world."
Kona Brewing Co., pro surfer Anna Gudauskus, and surf photographer Sarah Lee are embarking on an 1,500+ mile beach cleanup down the East Coast. Gudauskus and Lee join Cheddar News to discuss the initiative.
March For Our Lives will be returning this weekend to Washington, DC, in the wake of the recent mass shooting seen throughout the country. Marchers include Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. She joined Cheddar News to discuss the importance of the march and activism in general. "I just think that it's so important to have these rallies because we need to demand to our leaders and politicians that they pass legislation and that and we actually need to see action," she said.
