Food.

Water.

Housing.

Healthcare.

Life. Liberty. Land-back. For every living thing.

I was born in Minneapolis. I left for nearly two decades, came back, and have been unable to leave ever since. There is something about all of you here. There is something about Minnesota.

I know the state well. Small business owners around the Twin Cities know me by name and I’ve been to every nature center’s toddler story time. I have friends and family from Rochester to Duluth, to northern starlit Wadena. I’ve spent thousands of hours driving on our roads, studying in our schools, and devoting myself to this community. I’ve raised your children, cared for dozens of small creatures, and failed again and again.

For the past decade, I have been rooted here. Unable to leave. You have all raised me. Your generosity and drive for community. Your willingness to learn and accept outsiders. Your dedication to your children and families and friends.

Watching all of you and the steady, ever-changing work you’ve poured in has truly created me—and here’s what I’ve learned from it.

We have all already done the work.

Whether we see it or not, most of us are working for the same things for our families; food, water, housing, healthcare and the freedom to live as they are. Everything else is supplementary. Everything else is a way to leverage us out of those basic freedoms.

The leaders of this country have done everything to blind us to each other. To only see the hate and difference between us; dehumanization has become normalized on every side of this. It’s been taught to us.

They’ve done everything they can to make us fear each other. But it hasn’t worked on us. It hasn’t worked on me. I see all of you. You know me. You’ve raised me.

I’m going to put us all in the same room.

This is our home. Spring is coming.