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Alicia Kozlowski
Alicia Kozlowski (/kəzˈlaʊski/;[1] Ojibwe: Ozaawaa Anakwad; 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.[2][3] Early life, education and careerBorn in Duluth, Minnesota, Kozlowski is the child of a Mexican union electrician father and a Fond du Lac Band Ojibwe mother.[2][4] They were raised by their grandmother and adopted in adulthood by a native family.[5] Their adoptive father, Ray "Skip" Sandman, was an Anishinaabe spiritual leader and ran twice for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District.[6][5] 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.[2][7][4] 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.[2][8][9] Minnesota House of RepresentativesKozlowski was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November 2022. They first ran after four-term DFL incumbent Jennifer Schultz announced they would not seek reelection and would run for the 8th Congressional District.[2] Kozlowski defeated Duluth City Council president Arik Forsman in the DFL primary.[10] When they took office, Kozlowski became the first nonbinary member of the Minnesota Legislature, the second two-spirit member, after Susan Allen, and the first Mexican and first Ojibwe person to represent Duluth.[11][12] Kozlowski serves on the Capital Investment, Economic Development Finance and Policy, Housing Finance and Policy, and Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committees.[2] 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.[13] 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.[5] Political positionsKozlowski 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.[4] Kozlowski is pro-choice and supports increasing abortion access for people of color, gender-expansive people, and immigrants.[14] 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.[15] Kozlowski authored a law adding gender-neutral bathrooms in Minnesota schools in 2023.[5] 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.[16] Electoral results
Personal lifeKozlowski lives in Duluth, Minnesota.[2] Their Ojibwe name is Ozaawaa Anakwad ("Yellow Cloud") and they identify as both nonbinary and two-spirit.[2][5] References
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