Remembering Labor Champion Melissa Hortman

Like so many Minnesotans, we at Workers Confluence are still in mourning three weeks after the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert.

Speaker Hortman was a true champion for workers and marginalized communities, and she played a crucial role in 2023’s Minnesota Miracle 2.0 legislative session (details in this prior Confluence post).

This moving essay by Unidos MN Executive Director Emilia Gonzales Avalos, published in the Minnesota Reformer yesterday, memorializes so much of what made Speaker Hortman a valued ally.

Further reading:

Minnesota AFL-CIO statement on June 14th’s political violence

Union of Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 tribute to Speaker Emerita Hortman

Lawmaker Melissa Hortman remembered as ‘a fixture and a giant in Minnesota’ – The Washington Post

Melissa Hortman remembered as “most consequential” speaker in state history – MSN.com