President of the Minnesota Senate reflects on his first legislative session

By Tom Gitaa Mshale Editor-in-Chief

The moment when state Senator Bobby Joe Champion was sworn in as president of the Minnesota Senate on January 3, 2023 was historic, as he became the first Black person to assum e the role in the state senate’s 165-year history.

The Minnesota Senate is the largest upper house of any state legislature in the country. His election as president came at a time of great prosperity for the state with a record budget surplus. It is common for Black people to be given opportunities to lead hallowed institutions when those institutions are in crisis or facing a severe downturn, a situation referred to as “glass cliff,” but rare for them to be given leadership roles in times of prosperity.

His ascendancy also came when the DFL controlled both houses at the legislature and the governorship (trifecta) for the first time since 2012. All constitutional offices (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, and secretary of state), are also held by Democrats.

Sen. Champion on Monday of last week sat down for an interview with Mshale in the side of downtown Minneapolis that he represents in the senate.

The affable Sen. Champion says he is proud of the accomplishments he and his DFL colleagues achieved in the first session of the 93rd Legislature that concluded on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, and that he looks forward to building on that record when the second session reconvenes in February.

“It was a great session for all