Community leaders press Minnesota lawmakers to address racial disparities

Minnesota has the most diverse Legislature in state history, more surplus money than ever and no shortage of plans to tackle racial inequities.

For many Minnesotans of color, it's an unmissable moment. But, community leaders and legislators stressed, it's also just one year in a long fight.

"You are talking about a state that has some of the greatest disparities in the country. And then you look at the resources that we have, that's why we should have a sense of urgency," said Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope. "It's not just this year, it's every year."

A group representing hundreds of Black Minnesotans this week highlighted pieces of Gov. Tim Walz's budget plan they support. The People of Color and Indigenous Caucus, of which Frazier is co-chair, recently revealed its own priorities, including devoting a fifth of the $17.5 billion surplus to communities of color. Meanwhile, most of the 83 recommendations lawmakers developed in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder remain unfinished.

Rep. Ruth Richardson co-chaired the House Select Committee on Racial Justice that developed those recommendations at the end of 2020, ranging from targeted spending increases in early childhood programs to a massive economic development package.

State leaders acted on some of the ideas in 2021, including scholarships for teachers of color and the creation of an Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. But partisan gridlock stopped many other proposals. Now a number of the recommendations are moving this session, including expungement of non-violent marijuana convictions and the Emmett Louis Till Victims Recovery Program to serve trauma survivors.

To sustain the work, Richardson plans to push to create a permanent state office tasked with addressing Minnesota's "deep and persistent disparities."

"We know that we're not going to completely move the needle in one or two sessions to get to the other side," she said. "The need for a dedicated long-term response to this — that can only come if there are structures in place that keep the focus on doing this work."

Such an office is not in Walz's budget, but he includes about $4.4 million over the next two years to establish an Office of African American Health. That office would provide policy recommendations, give out grants to improve Black Minnesotans' health outcomes and aim to increase diversity in the health care workforce.

It's one of many pieces of the governor's budget influenced by a group called Mind, Body and Soul that spent the past year meeting virtually. Stephanie Burrage, deputy commissioner at the state Department of Education, launched the effort after concluding state leaders were developing programs without input from affected communities. Their online meetings grew to 650 people, most of whom are Black or brown, she said.

"Black Minnesotans wanted a consistent voice at the table," Burrage said. "They want to see resources make their way to the community."

The group wants increased spending to recruit and retain more Black educators and health care providers, improved access to affordable mental and physical health care, removal of homeownership barriers and investment in Black-owned businesses, she said.

Many of their priorities are woven into Walz's $65 billion two-year spending plan.

Not all communities had the same level of input into the governor's budget, said Minnesota Indian Affairs Council Chair Robert "Deuce" Larsen, who emphasized the need for more spending to help students go to college or learn a trade. However, he noted that many things the council talked about over the past few years ended up in Walz's budget.

Walz held an event in St. Paul with Mind, Body and Soul members Monday.

"Whether that is an opportunity gap in learning, whether it is homeownership, whether it is health disparities and outcomes, this community has come together to look holistically, 'How do we tackle this?' And they want to see tangible results in a budget," he said.

The DFL governor said it is morally and economically imperative that the state delivers for the Black community. Ensuring residents have a good education, are healthy and can start a business boosts the state's financial future, he said.

Economist and Concordia University professor Bruce Corrie has also emphasized the economic cost of not acting. He estimates racial disparities in Minnesota pertaining to income, education, housing and business revenue add up to about $287 billion in lost wealth and lifetime earnings for African, Latino, Asian and Native American communities.

He wants Minnesota to create a $1 billion capital fund to sustain long-term economic development in communities of color through loans, grants, land banks and other methods. The idea was in the House Select Committee's 83 recommendations, but not Walz's budget.

"The reality that changed between when the House Select Committee issued the report and today was this huge budget surplus," Corrie said. "So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Minnesota to do the right thing."

Another change since then is the shift from a divided Legislature to Democratic control of the House, Senate and governor's office. Nonetheless, differences remain between the two chambers and the governor's office. Frazier said legislators will meet with Walz and his commissioners to work on spending plans "that are really going to move the needle."

State leaders need to ensure the voices of the hundreds of Black Minnesotans who helped inform Walz's budget over the past year aren't lost during negotiations, stressed Theodore Rose with the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage.

Rose and Council Executive Director Linda Sloan said there seems to be more legislation moving to tackle racial disparities than in years past.

"What I'm seeing is a rejuvenation," Sloan said. Previously stalled bills like the CROWN Act, which prevents race-based hair discrimination, are becoming law, she noted. "[People] who have felt unheard and marginalized are now getting their voices heard."