If you’ve ever been to the McDonald’s on 47th and Cottage Grove, you probably noticed the friendly guy with the magnetic smile. With all that’s going on in Chicago, the nation, and the world, it’s such a pleasant relief to actually see a genuinely pleasant person.
Donald Jenkins says he’s always been a people-person. “Almost 20 years ago, when I was 15, I began working at the Rock & Roll McDonald’s. The manager told me I had a ‘face for McDonald’s.’ I’ve been with McDonald’s ever since.”
Donald quickly rose up through the ranks of McDonald’s. Today, he’s a manager, with a bunch of responsibilities, from training workers, to managing inventories and a host of other jobs. Donald believes that having people skills and good communication skills is a prerequisite for his job at McDonald’s. He not only loves to smile, he also loves to make people smile. “Dealing with McDonald’s fast food and customer service really humbled me,” he says.
This forty-four-year-old father of three has been told throughout his life that he is a born leader. “All my teachers told me that I had leadership skills,” he told us. “And everyone I’m around in the Fight for $15 always compliments me on my leadership abilities.”
Donald is one of the leading organizers of the Fight for $15 in Chicago. That initiative started in 2012 when fast food workers in New York City walked out, demanding $15 an hour. Other workers in other cities said, “If they can do it, we can do it,” and the cause spread, not only to other cities, but also to other industries. The Chicago Fight for $15 organization is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. They started out as a group of around ten people. “Now there are hundreds of us,” Donald says proudly. Donald recounts how he was arrested for civil disobedience during his participation in the Fight for $15.
He’s proud that he stood up for his rights and equally proud of the results of that fight, having exceeded the goal of $15 an hour. Today, the average McDonald’s Crew Member’s hourly pay in Chicago is approximately $16.26, which is 18% above the national average.
Donald tells us that now they have another cause. “We’re fighting for unionization,” he says. Unions are known to provide workers with higher wages, better benefits, and collective bargaining power. Donald believes it’s worth the fight.
All of his activism is not work-related. “I was out there protesting the racism when George Floyd was killed,” he says, “So I’m up there for different causes, the minimum wage, unionizations, and the George Floyd demonstrations we did in other cities.
Donald credits his optimistic outlook on life to the fact that he is a God-fearing man. He is an usher at his church, Prayer and Faith Outreach Ministries. Just as he greets McDonald’s customers and co-workers with a smile, he also greets the members of the congregation with that same, friendly smile.
He tries very hard not to let anything counter his positive outlook. “When I feel negative spirits, or sense negative people’s vibes or conversations, I just switch it. I ask myself, What would Jesus do?, and I try to reflect that on the situation. It’s just my spirit. I try not to let anything bring me down,” he says.
When he’s not demonstrating, or flashing that welcoming smile at McDonald’s, or serving the congregation of his church, Donald loves playing and watching basketball.
Donald tells us he has a felony in his background that he’s been fighting for nineteen years. He put in a petition and is trying to get it expunged. “We’re now at the last step,” he says, “It’s holding me back. I want my life back.” He goes back to court on May 15. “That one thing on my background is stopping me from going one step further,” he says.
I asked Donald what advice he would give to young people today. He said, “I would tell them to stay in school. Find a job that you love. Keep your faith in God and keep pushing because life is getting hard.” He says he doesn’t want these young people to be stuck trying to figure out what’s going on when they get his age.
His final advice: “When things get hard, give it to God. If you think the same things, you’ll have the same results. If you think positive, you’ll have positive results.”
