By Lt Gov Peggy Flanagan
Boozhoo, happy fall! In September, Governor Walz and I traveled to Japan to expand on our strong economic partnerships. We met with over 50 Japan-based companies that call Minnesota home and promoted our state as a destination for businesses to grow.
While in Japan, I had the opportunity to promote Minnesota as a destination for working women at the Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative, an initiative that’s working to give women in philanthropy, journalism, nonprofits, and small business the tools to success. We spent a great deal of time discussing our historic child care investments and child tax credit which will greatly increase the accessibility and affordability of child care for Minnesota families and caregivers and increase pathways for working women to build a career.
It was powerful having these conversations with Japanese women leaders knowing that we share much of the same pain but also hope for our children and shared values. I am proud that in Minnesota, we’re investing in our workforce, and our businesses, to make sure we remain a destination for workers across the globe and foster hope and opportunities for success.
Supporting working women is crucial to achieving our goal of making Minnesota the best state for children and families. As we continue to implement the incredible policies passed last session, I am excited and hopeful that the implementation process for our new Department of Children, Youth, and Families has begun. This office will work in partnership with state agencies and the Children’s Cabinet to prioritize our future: children, youth, and families.
Some of the many programs that the Department of Children, Youth, and Families will adopt from other agencies include child care services, child safety, child support, early learning services, after-school learning programs, youth justice, and juvenile justice and restorative practices. Creating an intentional space for children, youth, and families to access, engage with, and participate in policy making is critical to ensuring we are supporting families in effective and impactful ways. And this department is all part of our mission to build systems that provide every child with a safe place to call home, food on the table, and opportunities to succeed in and out of the classroom.
Also in September, the Governor hosted the fifth annual Governor and Tribal Leaders Summit. We have made a lot of progress over the past four years building our relationship and government-to-government partnerships with the Tribes. It is always exciting to work together on advancing our shared priorities to move towards a future that lifts up all people who live here.
At the end of the month, the Governor and I visited the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe for our 10th government-to-government visit to a Tribal Nation during our administration. We met with Tribal Council and had an opportunity to tour some sites that are a priority to the Tribes. The most recent bonding bill included funding for Tribe’s new Wellness Center. I look forward to returning and visiting once it is completed. Our work to improve government-to-government relations with the 11 tribal nations in Minnesota is happening 365 days a year, but these visits provide even more opportunities to build upon these partnerships and learn the specific priorities of each separate tribal government.
We are just days away from celebrating American Indian Month here in Minnesota. I look forward to seeing many of you at the various events on Indigenous Peoples Day and throughout the month. Then in November, we will recognize National American Indian Heritage Month. As many of you, I am Native 365 days a year but October and November are opportunities to celebrate and recognize American Indian cultures, contributions, history, traditions, art and land because our nation and state’s history is American Indian history.
Thank you for staying engaged, making your voices heard, and for calling Minnesota home. We are stronger when we stand together.
Miigwech and until next time,
Peggy Flanagan
