Peggy Flanagan on 40 Years of Minnesota’s MLK Holiday
As Minnesota marks 40 years of honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan reflects on the holiday’s purpose as a call to action rather than remembrance alone. Drawing from her lived experience, Indigenous identity, and public service, Flanagan urges Minnesotans to advance justice, unity, and care for communities still facing systemic inequities.
Forty years ago, our state made a commitment to honor Dr. King with this holiday. But that action wasn’t just focused on honoring Dr. King as a leader of the past, but as a guide for the work we are still called to do. His dream of justice, equality, and unity belongs not only to history, but to our present and our future.
Dr. King’s work was rooted in Black Americans’ lived experience and their ongoing struggle for dignity, safety, and opportunity in the face of racism and injustice. Forty years later, Black Minnesotans continue to lead, organize, and demand change; and they continue to face disparities in housing, health care, education, and the criminal justice system that requires real action. Honoring that legacy means listening to the communities most impacted by injustice.
I have always felt a deep connection to this day and what it represents. I grew up in St. Louis Park with a single mom who did everything she could to make sure we had what we needed. We relied on public programs like SNAP and a Section 8 housing voucher. Our community was essential to our survival, and I learned early that we don’t make it on our own. As my role model the late Senator Paul Wellstone was known for saying, “we all do better when we all do better.”
As a member of the White Earth Nation and the Wolf Clan, I was taught that our role is to ensure no one is left behind. That teaching lives with me every day. It shows up in how I lead, how I serve, and how I fight for our communities. I rolled up my sleeves a long time ago because I know that you don’t get what you don’t fight for, and boy does it matter when you win.
Dr. King reminded us that,“injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Those words echo the lessons I learned growing up about how the future we build for our communities depends on how we care for one another. Minnesota has known moments of pain and division, but we have also witnessed extraordinary solidarity, courage, and hope. Those moments have carried us forward and helped us build strong protections for people and families across our state. From the Iron Range to the Twin Cities, from Red Wing to Moorhead, Minnesotans continue to show that when we stand together, we can build a state where everyone belongs.
This 40th anniversary is not just about reflection. It’s a call to action. It’s time to lace up our shoes and move forward, grounded in the past and committed to the future. Our diversity is our strength: Indigenous peoples whose stewardship of this land grounds us, immigrants who bring new traditions and dreams, and generations of families who have worked to make Minnesota a place of opportunity.
Minnesotans, this moment demands more than remembering history. It calls on us to look forward and make the choice to leave our own fingerprints on history. Let us honor Dr. King not only with our words, but with our actions. Let us choose hope, justice, and love, and ensure that we never leave anyone behind.
Sincerely,
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan