Minnesotans understand something essential about ourselves. We are shaped by this place. By its long winters and frozen lakes and by the quiet discipline of looking out for one another when the cold is unforgiving and the hardest moments require us to rely on each other. We are a people who know that no one makes it through the most difficult times alone.
That understanding did not begin with those of us here today. Many Minnesotans, including my own family, trace their history to immigrants who crossed open water without a guarantee of success. They watched the sky and trusted the stars to guide them when the horizon offered no landmarks. They were led by the North Star, which told them where they were and, just as importantly, where they were going.
That understanding still matters today.
As the world now knows, we have been, and are still going through a time of terrible challenge. The recent deployment of masked and armed ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis has brought fear into our neighborhoods, forced American citizens of color to carry papers of proof, made children wonder if their parents would come home each day, has families weighing whether it is safer to stay home or send their children to school, attend worship, go to work, even buy groceries.
We have seen untold numbers of peacefully protesting citizens attacked, gassed, beaten, arrested. Most horrifically, two Minnesotans have been shot to death by U.S. agents.
The presence of armed and masked federal agents in our communities is intended to send a clear message: That force and intimidation are more important than human dignity. That longstanding practices can be changed on a whim to justify indiscriminate detentions. That entire groups of people can be treated as threats rather than neighbors.
And yet we rise. Across our state, people are finding ways to support one another. Community members have organized visible school watches to ensure families are not isolated or caught alone in moments of fear. Volunteers are accompanying children and educators to and from school so daily routines can continue without intimidation. Neighbors are delivering groceries and essential supplies to families who are afraid to leave their homes, making sure no one is forced to choose between safety and survival.
Community organizations and faith groups are hosting know-your-constitutional rights trainings and legal observer sessions to help people understand their protections and provide support when they need it most. Labor groups, nonprofits, and volunteers are coordinating transportation, childcare, and legal support.
That is what real public safety looks like. It grows from relationships built long before a crisis arrives and from communities that refuse to let fear be the organizing principle of daily life. When neighbors are arbitrarily pushed into the shadows, we all suffer. When we support the marginalized, we all do better.
Time and again, Minnesota has stepped forward when the country needed a North Star, a leader in interstate collaboration, in health care, in labor rights, in education, in refugee resettlement, and in the long, unfinished work of racial justice. We did not lead because we were perfect. We lead because we were willing to try, learn and do better.
We know that our choices carry consequences far beyond our borders. In this time of darkness, we will continue to be guided by our long history of making it through the toughest of times.
This is not defiance. It is our continued commitment to who we are as Minnesotans, as Americans. It is who we are.
Nelson is former chair and chief executive officer of Carlson, a global travel, hospitality and marketing company.
