(KNSI) – Minnesota’s perseverance through the pandemic and the quest for racial equality were the themes in Governor Tim Walz’s third State of the State Address.
Walz spoke on Sunday night from his old classroom at Mankato West High School.
“The state of our state is strong, Minnesota. This is our goal-line stand. Get vaccinated. We’re coming back.”
Half a million Minnesotans have contracted COVID-19, and nearly 7,000 have died from the virus.
Walz said Minnesota’s heart breaks for you, everyone who’s lost a loved one.
“Your grief is unimaginable. I know words can’t ease your pain. Time doesn’t erase it-it just changes it. May you find peace in the memories of the good times with your loved ones lost. All of Minnesota mourns with you.”
He says, however, Minnesota is winning the fight against COVID-19.
More than 1.5 million Minnesotans have received the vaccine. More than 80-percent of seniors have been vaccinated, two-thirds of educators and child-care workers have received the vaccine.
Starting Tuesday, all Minnesotans 16 years old and older will be eligible to get the shot, and over 90 percent of our students are back to in-person learning.
“Normalcy is on the horizon, and Minnesotans are eager to embrace the simple pleasures of life. Whether it’s the morning rush out the door to school, a warm cup of coffee with a friend, or for me, the busy chatter of a high school hallway between classes, we vow never to take them for granted again.”
The Governor says the only way to beat the virus is by continuing to socially distance, wear a mask, and get tested, and most importantly, get vaccinated.
“Getting vaccinated will protect you and your loved ones. Getting vaccinated will get us back to the places we love and the people we miss. Getting vaccinated is how we end this pandemic.”
Minnesota is monitoring as COVID cases have started rising again, spurred by new variants of the virus.
Officials ask people to continue to socially distance, wear a mask, and get tested to beat the virus.
He thanked all Minnesota who helped save lives.
“From first responders to sanitation workers to personal caregivers to corrections officers to food and manufacturing workers and so many more, frontline workers kept Minnesota safe and moving, even as the virus spread. Bar, restaurant, and other small business owners weathered unpredictable closures to help stop the spread.”
He also says the sacrifices of everyday Minnesotans skipping birthdays, holiday gatherings, and other special life events saved lives.
Walz says brighter days are ahead for Minnesota.
“Minnesota was one of the safest states in the nation during the pandemic when comparing cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. And now our economy is booming back faster than we ever imagined. We haven’t just survived this crisis-we’ve centered our values and led through it.”
One of the main reasons Walz choose to give Sunday’s State of the State Adress at Mankato West is because it was where Martin Luther King Jr gave a 48-minute speech 60 years ago. It was during the peak of the freedom rides, black and white Americans rode buses through the South together to protest segregation.
Dr. King spoke about how the winds of change are blowing through the world, something Walz says is happening in Minnesota state again.
“Once again, the winds of change are blowing through our world. The winds of change blew thousands of Minnesotans into the streets last summer and inspired a movement across the world. The winds of change quietly opened eyes, ears, and minds across our state.”
Minnesota was thrust into the international spotlight following the death of George Floyd in May of 2020.
The Governor says Minnesota’s deep racial inequities were exposed for the world to see.
“For many white Minnesotans, it was an awakening to a truth that Minnesotans of color have known all their lives. While our state ranks as one of the best places in the country for a white child to grow up, it often ranks as one of the worst for a child of color.”
As Derek Chauvin’s trial gets underway, he encouraged Minnesotans to practice their First Amendment right-but to heed Dr. King’s advice that nonviolence is the only way to move hearts and create change.
Walz quoted another famous line from that address in Southern Minnesota in 1961.
“We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish together as fools. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, he continued, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
Walz proposed several policy changes aimed at bringing more equality and dignity to all people.
The changes include the bipartisan police accountability legislation signed into law last year to address systemic inequities in Minnesota’s criminal justice system.
The law bans neck restraints like the one used on George Floyd before his death in Minneapolis. It also imposes a duty to intercede on officers who see a colleague using excessive force and changes rules on the use of force to stress the sanctity of life.
The Governor has proposed a state budget to level the playing field by supporting working families, helping small businesses stay afloat, and ensuring students catch up on learning.
It gives a tax break to more than 300,000 Minnesota families, makes nearly all Paycheck Protection Program loans tax-exempt for small businesses, and provides direct cash payments to over 32,000 Minnesota families.
The proposed budget would invest $50 million in a new Small Business COVID Support forgivable loan program to help the most challenged businesses sustain their operations and emerge from the pandemic. The program includes targeted investments in Greater Minnesota businesses and minority-owned businesses.
To address inequality in the education system, Walz has unveiled a new education plan this year Named Due North. The program serves as a guide toward a future where every child receives a high-quality education, no matter where they live or what they look like.
Due North will help students recover from learning loss this year, starting with additional learning and tutoring this summer while closing the opportunity gap and transforming our education system for years to come.
The plan would tackle the racial and geographic opportunity gap by dramatically reforming school financing, expanding access to rigorous coursework, and ensuring our curriculum and teacher workforce better reflect our increasingly diverse student body.
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March 29, 2021 at 07:56AM
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Walz Touts Response to COVID, Vows to Work on Racial Inequity In State of the State - KNSI
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