During Black History Month, AARP Highlights MN Leaders Helping Communities Thrive

With an ongoing pandemic looming in the background and the need to bridge deep divides around racial and social injustices, this Black History Month provides an important and timely platform to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans to their communities and our nation. AARP is highlighting a number of people who are building up their communities around the nation, including three from Minnesota:

When artist, writer and advocate, Andrea Jenkins was elected to the Minneapolis city council in 2017, she became the first Black openly trans woman ever elected to public office in the United States. She made headlines again in January when she became Minneapolis City Council President and the first openly trans person to hold such a position in the nation.

In the early 2000s, Mychael Wright opened the Golden Thyme Coffee & Cafe and soon after launched the Selby Avenue JazzFest as a way of thanking customers and disrupting the view that their community wasn’t safe. He has repositioned the Selby Corridor to provide quality arts access to underserved individuals and plays a key role in other forms of development of the area, including mixed-use projects that include both retail and affordable housing for the neighborhood’s elders.

After seeing firsthand how horrifically people with disabilities were treated in hospitals, Cedric Key founded Key 360 Support Services to provide needs-based support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rather than taking the one-size-fits-all approach favored by many existing service providers, Cedric and his growing staff focus on individualized programming designed to help people with disabilities develop life skills, live independently and integrate into the community.

As we embark on February, let’s look for ways to support, acknowledge, and celebrate our community’s leaders who are committed to the work of bringing us together to transform, uplift, and educate our communities. Take some time to read about other leaders that AARP is spotlighting, including Purpose Prize winner Raymond Jetson and other nationally recognized leaders, and check for local volunteer service opportunities to help improve your own communities.

If you’re looking for additional ways to celebrate Black History Month with others, check out AARP’s event schedule for virtual events like a soulful dance party, a concert featuring Howard Hewett and lectures on topics like the history of Motown and the story of Tinner Hill, VA, where the first rural branch of the NAACP was established.

Above all, let’s find ways to celebrate the beauty of the African American journey, not only during Black History Month but all year. After all, new “history” is made every day by us all.