“The Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus members congratulate the members of the Senate DFL who were recently appointed to serve on the new leadership team. We recognize and celebrate the significance behind the selection in that it is the first time the Senate DFL has elected three people of color serving in leadership positions. Senator Melisa López Franzen is the first Latina woman elected to Minority Leader, Senator Mary Kunesh is the first Indigenous woman elected to Assistant Minority Leader, and Senator Foung Hawj (a former Hmong refugee from Laos) has been reelected to Assistant Minority Leader. We are confident the Senate DFL will take further meaningful steps into pioneering legislative work that prioritizes and honors the lives of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian citizens of Minnesota.
We believe that diversity in representation is key to ensuring every Minnesotan is given an opportunity to thrive in our state. We look forward to partnering with the Senate DFL’s new leadership team to bring forth policy that offers meaningful change and opportunity to all communities.”
The People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus includes Reps. Esther Agbaje (59B), Jamie Becker-Finn (42B), Cedrick Frazier (45A), Aisha Gomez (62B), Hodan Hassan (Vice-Chair 62A), Kaohly Her (64A), Athena Hollins (66B), Fue Lee (59A), Carlos Mariani (65B), Rena Moran (65A), Mohamud Noor (60B), Ruth Richardson (52B), John Thompson (67A), Samantha Vang (Chair, 40B), Jay Xiong (67B), Tou Xiong (53B), and Senators Bobby Joe Champion (59), Omar Fateh (62), Melisa López Franzen (49), Foung Hawj (67), Mary Kunesh (41), Patricia Torres Ray (Chair, 63).
