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As the 2024 election season comes to a close, we’re encountering a year of historic firsts — nationally and locally. If Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz were to win the White House this year, the highest-ranking Native American woman in the country would become the governor of Minnesota. That woman is Peggy Flanagan.
Lauded as one of Minnesota’s rising stars and currently the highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office, Peggy Flanagan is a politician, community organizer and Indigenous activist from the White Earth Nation. She has been serving as the lieutenant governor of Minnesota since 2019 and is currently next in line to assume the governorship if Tim Walz becomes vice president.
So what does this all mean? History could be made this November and help catapult the first Native woman — and consequently, long-overlooked Native issues — into broader American public discourse. It’s perfect timing, too, as we approach Native American History Month this November.
Even though we’re zooming in on politics in this piece, entrepreneurs across the spectrum can learn something about positioning diverse leaders in the right spaces and supporting their work and advancement throughout their tenure.
Flanagan needed allies like Walz and others to lift her voice and put her into positions where she could make an impact. We can all learn more about what it means to be a better ally for those who are the “firsts” in their space. Here are three strategies around allyship I recommend to my diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultancy clients.
Let diverse leaders lead
There have been many firsts in the realm of politics in recent years. There was the first Black president, Barack Obama, in 2008, then the first openly gay governor, Jared Polis, from Colorado in 2019, and potentially, the first woman and Southeast Asian president, Kamala Harris, in 2024.
All these great firsts had this in common: they had allies and partners that let them take the lead and shine. Peggy Flanagan has been an outstanding leader in the realm of DEI for decades. In 2017, she helped form Minnesota’s first People of Color and Indigenous Caucus (POCI). She worked tirelessly to improve education, health and economic outcomes for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in her state.
In addition, she has been a fearless advocate of Indigenous people’s rights. While serving as a legislator, she sponsored a first-of-its-kind task force focused on Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), a phenomenon happening across the country where Indigenous women experience violence and go missing shortly thereafter. Local police municipalities in many states often don’t search for missing Indigenous women or investigate their disappearances. Unfortunately, MMIW cases usually go unsolved. All that is to say that when we let diverse leaders lead, they can do powerful things by raising awareness about issues that may have never crossed our minds. As allies, our job is to lift these leaders up and amplify their work.
Beware of performative allyship
While many people want to take credit for knowing the trailblazers in politics and DEI and take pride in having supported them on their way up, the truth is that it can be a lonely journey for many leaders who had to actualize their dreams on their own. They sponsored their legislation and wrote it themselves with their teams. They sat in rooms with decision-makers where they worked hard to get colleagues on board with their bold new initiatives. They attended many thankless events where they carried the burden of organizing, leading and managing the outcomes alone.
Many people want to take credit for the work BIPOC has been doing by saying they were “there” at the event or “support” so-and-so leaders’ work wholeheartedly. But still, BIPOC individuals are often the people who did all the work, and still, the allies are nowhere to be found. Performative allyship can often look like claiming to be an ally when it’s politically or socially advantageous but not during times when true grit, work, and dedication are required — and the cameras and spotlights are off. Avoid falling into the trap of lifting up leaders like Flanagan when it’s most convenient for you and not for the leaders and their causes.
Related: How Brands Can Go From Performative Allyship to Actual Allies
Be a success partner
What’s most helpful for rising leaders whom you wish to support is not only to say you stand behind certain causes but to actually show up and prove it. Support bills that improve Indigenous health, education and rights. Speak about Flanagan’s work in the public domain, thereby ensuring colleagues who might be interested in those issues are aware of them. Donate to organizations and nonprofits that bolster the work that Indigenous leaders are doing to move the needle on change. It’s not enough to say, “I’m for Indigenous people’s rights,” or to do a land acknowledgment when you haven’t actually done the work, spent the time, or put your money where your mouth is.
Final thoughts
No matter what happens this November, leaders like Peggy Flanagan are on the rise. When one person moves on to a higher office, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ officials who have been waiting for their moment to shine can finally rise, too. The future is bright for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. that better represents the diversity of the country while inspiring more just, equitable and inclusive policies at local and national levels.
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