ATHENA HOLLINS RESUMES 66B CAMPAIGN

I am Athena Hollins, and I want to represent you in the Minnesota State House.

The status quo is not good enough.

The actions of our community have inspired me to continue my campaign for MN House 66B. The events happening in Minnesota and around the world give me hope for real, systemic change. They also serve as a reminder that, without Black and Brown voices at the table to lead the discussion, real structural change will not happen. 

We cannot solve Minnesota’s problems merely by electing Democrats. George Floyd was murdered in a state with a Democratic governor, in a county controlled by Democrats, in a city with a Democratic mayor and a Democratic city council. The DFL is the best vehicle for progressive change in Minnesota — but only if it is accountable to its constituents and only if it truly represents its constituents. We must ask: are our leaders fighting for the changes we need or are they just maintaining the status quo?

John Lesch has held the 66B House seat as a Democrat for 18 years. He has been in office as the police have killed disproportionately high numbers of our Black, Native American, and Latinx neighbors. Even as recently as 2016, he was still taking donations from the Minneapolis Police Union, an organization that is one of the biggest barriers to reform at the state legislature and whose leadership is responsible for perpetuating a toxic culture of racism and violence within the MPD. Less than a handful of Rep. Lesch’s campaign contributors live in our district — and this is not a new pattern for Rep. Lesch. 

For too long political power had been concentrated among white men serving the interests of their friends. As a Black woman, I have had to constantly justify my right to occupy spaces dominated by white, male voices. As a woman of color, I have had to constantly justify real community needs. Now, more than ever, I am compelled to speak up for and represent Black and Brown progressive voices and all of our community. People like me — and you — need and deserve representation focused on community needs and I am here to fight for it.

I am Athena Hollins, and I want to represent you in the Minnesota State House.