Alicia Kozlowski (born January 12, 1988) is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Kozlowski represents District 8B in northeastern Minnesota, which includes the city of Duluth and parts of St. Louis County.[1][2]

Early life, education and career

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Kozlowski is the child of a Mexican union electrician father and a Fond du Lac Band Ojibwe mother.[1][3] They were raised by their grandmother and adopted in adulthood by a native family.[4] Their adoptive father, Ray "Skip" Sandman, was an Anishinaabe spiritual leader and ran twice for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District.[5][4]

Kozlowski is a first-generation college graduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2009 and a Master of Business Administration from the College of St. Scholastica in 2017.[1][6][3]

From 2019 to 2021, Kozlowski worked as a community relations officer for the City of Duluth and Mayor Emily Larson, where they advocated to remove the word "chief" from city job titles and helped create a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People Reward Fund, the first in Minnesota.[1][7][8]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Kozlowski was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November 2022. They first ran after four-term DFL incumbent Jennifer Schultz announced she would not seek reelection and would run for the 8th Congressional District.[1] Kozlowski defeated Duluth City Council president Arik Forsman in the DFL primary.[9] When they took office, Kozlowski became the first nonbinary and first two-spirit member of the Minnesota Legislature and the first Mexican and first Ojibwe person to represent Duluth.[10][11]

Kozlowski serves on the Capital Investment, Economic Development Finance and Policy, Housing Finance and Policy, and Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committees.[1] They are the vice chair of the House People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and a member of the legislator's first Queer Caucus, made up of LGBTQ+ members.[12]

Kozlowski was highlighted as part of Minnesota Public Radio's 2023 "Changemakers" series, which showcases Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds making an impact in the state.[4]

Political positions

Kozlowski campaigned on increasing support for working families through universal childcare and fully-funded education, protecting the environment through "prove it first" mining permit legislation, and affordable healthcare for all.[3]

Kozlowski is pro-choice and supports increasing abortion access for people of color, gender-expansive people, and immigrants.[13] They have spoken out in favor of legislation making Minnesota a "trans refuge state" for those seeking gender-affirming care and have pushed for creating inclusive schools and increasing housing access for disadvantaged communities.[14] Kozlowski authored a law adding gender-neutral bathrooms in Minnesota schools in 2023.[4]

Kozlowski supported efforts to increase funding for the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office. Native American women and girls are only 1% of Minnesota's population but made up 8% of all murdered women and girls from 2010 through 2018.[15]

Electoral results

2022 Minnesota State House - District 8B[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Alicia Kozlowski 14,593 70.95
Republican Becky Hall 5,929 28.83
Write-in 45 0.22
Total votes 20,567 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

Kozlowski lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with their partner, Samantha, and has one child.[1] Their Ojibwe name is Ozaawaa Anakwad ("Yellow Cloud") and they identify as both nonbinary and two-spirit.[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Kozlowski, Alicia - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  2. ^ "Rep. Alicia Kozlowski (08B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  3. ^ a b c Hollingsworth, Jana; Lawler, Christa (August 5, 2022). "Voter's guide for Duluth and St. Louis County primary races". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ki, Nicole (2023-06-21). "ChangeMakers: For two-spirit legislator Alicia Kozlowski, community is everything". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  5. ^ Hollingsworth, Jana (November 3, 2022). "Skip Sandman, an Anishinaabe spiritual healer, dies at 68". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  6. ^ "Minnesota's first nonbinary elected state representative wins in Duluth". Bemidji Pioneer. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  7. ^ Galioto, Katie (June 19, 2020). "Duluth pushes to remove 'chief' from job titles, calling it offensive to Indigenous people". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  8. ^ Lawler, Christa (January 25, 2022). "Duluth creates reward fund to help solve crimes against Indigenous women". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  9. ^ Lawler, Christa. "First-timer Alicia Kozlowski will face Becky Hall in House District 8B race". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  10. ^ Asher, Abe (2022-11-23). "Alicia Kozlowski elected Minnesota's first non-binary legislator". Sahan Journal. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  11. ^ Lawler, Christa (November 9, 2022). "Zeleznikar poised to oust longtime Rep. Mary Murphy in Minnesota House District 3B". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  12. ^ Stroozas, Sam (2023-01-17). "'Shaking things up': Minnesota's LGBTQ lawmakers see new strength at Capitol". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  13. ^ The Associated Press (2022-12-27). "What Minnesota's most diverse Legislature means for policy". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  14. ^ Moini, Nina (2023-04-21). "This family moved to Minnesota to access gender-affirming care. More might soon". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  15. ^ Bierschbach, Briana. "Leaders push for more funding to find missing and murdered Indigenous Minnesotans". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  16. ^ "2022 Results for State Representative District 8B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 25, 2023.

External links