[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING MS. ANDREA JENKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KEITH ELLISON

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 20, 2015

  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Andrea 
Jenkins, who has been chosen to serve as Grand Marshal for the 2015 
Twin Cities Pride parade and festival because of her distinguished 
contributions to the citizens of Minnesota in the form of art and 
activism.
   Ms. Jenkins has been among the Twin Cities' leading advocates for 
transgender equity, especially at the intersections of race and class. 
During her 12-year career as a policy aide for the Minneapolis City 
Council, Ms. Jenkins was central in raising the profile of transgender 
issues among Minnesota's most influential policymakers. Under her 
leadership, the City of Minneapolis started the Transgender Issues Work 
Group, a roundtable dedicated to changing city ordinances to improve 
the lives of transgender citizens. Local and national media outlets 
have covered her efforts--raising the profile of an often-overlooked 
segment of the population. At a time when our nation is seeing an 
epidemic of violence against transgender individuals--specifically 
trans women of color--Ms. Jenkins's work is critical.
   In addition to her work in the political realm, Ms. Jenkins is an 
award-winning poet and performance artist. Her work has been honored by 
the Jerome Foundation, Intermedia Arts, The Playwrights' Center, the 
Walker Art Center, the Givens Foundation, the Loft Literary Center, and 
countless other arts organizations. In 2011, she was named a Bush 
Fellow.
   On top of crafting nuanced pieces that reflect her identity as a 
trans woman of color, Ms. Jenkins serves on numerous boards and panels, 
including serving as the board chair of Intermedia Arts. This 
leadership has allowed Ms. Jenkins to create some of the Twin Cities' 
most inclusive and boundary-pushing events, frequently centering the 
voices of those at ``the margins of the margins.'' One such event, the 
Queer Voices reading series, is the longest-running series of its kind 
in the country.
   Recently, Ms. Jenkins left her position with the City of Minneapolis 
to begin curating the Transgender Oral History Project, part of the 
University of Minnesota's Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection. In this 
role, she will travel throughout the upper Midwest to document the 
experiences of transgender people. This permanent record will serve as 
one of the nation's most comprehensive catalogs of contemporary 
transgender life.
   At a time when the T in LGBT is often overlooked, Andrea Jenkins has 
helped move the spotlight to the trans community. Her work has sparked 
conversation, propagated knowledge and forged a path for future trans 
leaders. Her work in our community is inestimable and I congratulate 
her on being selected Grand Marshal. I am proud to call her a friend 
and ally.

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