2025 Day at the Capitol – Building Power & Resilience

On President’s Day, February 17, the Women’s Foundation and Young Women’s Cabinet hosted Young Women’s Initiative Day at the Capitol. For the first time in the Rotunda, Cabinet members, Innovators, WFM staff, and elected officials shared the power of investing in young leaders, speaking up for the issues that matter, and using our leadership to advocate on behalf of those who are pushed to the margins.

Despite the freezing cold, we were energized to be together and to make our voices heard on behalf of women, girls, and gender-expansive people across Minnesota. It was an inspiring day of advocacy in action! Our Governor-appointed Young Women’s Cabinet and the Greater Mankato Cabinet led the day and shared their policy priorities in health, education, and safety.

Cabinet Voices

Statewide Cabinet member Ely Zeimet spoke to the importance of increased funding to support survivors through crime victim services and shared, “Increased funding by the state is necessary for all victim services to continue running and serving our communities every single day. With decreased funding from the Victims of Crimes Act budget and the Federal Office of Management and Budget memo calling for a funding freeze, we need the state of Minnesota recognize how the needs of victim-survivors are part of the success and well-being of all people in our state.”

Statewide Cabinet member Valahlena Rahyne Steeprock, an organizer for the MMIW 218 organization, is the lead advocate for her cousin Nevaeh Kingbird, who has been missing since 2021 from Bemidji. She shared the Cabinet’s endorsement of increasing funding for the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office to bring awareness, justice, and the reminder that Indigenous people are still here and are not forgotten.

Mankato Cabinet member Addison Wienke, a sophomore at Minnesota State Mankato, said prior to joining the Cabinet, she had no experience in advocacy. Among other issues, the Mankato Cabinet is advocating for is financial literacy in schools and expanding medical testing practices for their effects on women.

“Over the past four months, I have learned so much about advocacy, politics, and leadership from these wonderful people,” Addison said. “It is so crucial that we push to have more women in these powerful roles because we all bring such unique experiences and ideas to the table that would otherwise go unheard and unnoticed,” she said. “We have done and will continue to do amazing things and amazing work. This only marks the very start of where we will take it.”
The personal stories Cabinet members shared inform their commitment to these issues, but it’s not just the young people in our Cabinet and Innovators programs who benefit from our investment—it’s the entire Minnesota community.

Encouraged by Elected Officials

Senators Mary Kunesh and Liz Boldon shared the importance of investing in women and gender-expansive people and making pathways for young people to lead. Sen. Kunesh (D-39) shared her support, and said, “All of these things are so very important, but we can’t do it as individuals. We have to do it all together.” Sen. Boldon (D-25) also a nurse at the Mayo Clinic asked how many in attendance were there for the first time. She said, “This is what democracy looks like. This is what progress looks like. And this is how we make a difference. This is how you make a difference.” The state senators spoke to issues on the Cabinets’ agendas, such as the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office and funding health care for women. “When women are healthy, our families, our communities, and our entire state is healthy,” said Sen. Boldon. Michelle Tran Maryns, WFM’s Vice President of Innovation, shared, “We are united in our resolve to use our strengths to engage in the democratic process to protect all of our Constitutional rights and to advocate for the well-being of everyone in our community.”

On Tuesday, the Cabinet met with Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan who issued a proclamation for Young Women’s Initiative Day and encouraged members to continue building power to advocate for themselves and their communities, while taking care of themselves so they can stay in the work for the long haul.

Advocacy in Action

As individuals and in small groups, we met with lawmakers from our districts, in their offices and pulling members off the floor to share more about the policies on our agendas. Members of the Cabinet sat in on House committee hearings about ending state-funded health care for undocumented Minnesotans, and a presentation on rural mental health.

Last year, Cabinet members advocated successfully for the passage of the Health Standards Bill to ensure that all students in Minnesota receive accurate health education to ensure their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Now, implementation of the bill is threatened, and the next day, Cabinet members heard passionate testimony from students and educators across the state. The experience demonstrated that the path to progress is not always linear, and often meets resistance, but showing up to represent your communities and your district matters.

Some of the rhetoric in the hearings and a few appointments with legislators were discouraging for Cabinet members but overall were instructive as part of learning the processes of government amid a contentious session.

Overall, Cabinet members were excited, nervous, and proud of their Day at the Capitol. They gained experience advocating for issues central to their lives, and they saw that elected officials were also just human. One shared, “I found it super inspiring to see change being made – the fight for rights is strong and present in the Minnesota State Capitol!” Another said, “I would love to see myself there in the future!” The effect of holding days of advocacy like this one underscore the value of the experience. One Cabinet member said, “It made me realize that I can exist in a political environment and hold my own! I deserve to take up space there and advocate, in person, for my life.”

Strengthening Our Foundation

Building toward a shared future of safety and abundance, WFM is focused this session on educating lawmakers and building strong coalitions as a foundation to the feminist future we know is within reach. In a time when funding and our paths to progress are limited, and our grantee-partners are seeing grave cuts to their federal funding, we are sharing resources and staying grounded in the persistence and resilience that has gotten us here.

As Sen. Kunesh said, our goals, hopes, and dreams are more alike than they are different. We must continue to show up and center the communities we care about. Together, we are investing in a web of resources so all Minnesotans can thrive. If you weren’t able to join us, you can learn more about the Cabinet’s policy agenda and stay connected for future opportunities to advocate with us!

• Young Women’s Cabinet policy agenda
• Women’s Foundation policy agenda
• Use WFM’s Advocate Toolkit to contact your legislators and spread the word about policies that benefit women, girls, and all Minnesotans
• Sign up for our biweekly Policy Update email

Photography by: Mercy Oyadare