Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, grew up in a low-income neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, where gun violence and drug trafficking were a frequent presence near his home. At the University of Minnesota Morris, he founded and was president of the only collegiate NAACP chapter in Minnesota. After law school, he became a Hennepin County public defender.
Frazier would turn to education, first as director of equity and diversity for the Minneapolis Public School District before joining the legal team of the district and later the state teachers union, Education Minnesota. He filled a vacancy on the New Hope City Council and then was was elected in 2020 to fill the 45A district vacated by Rep. Lyndon Carlson, the longest serving lawmaker in Minnesota history.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Being the only divided Legislature in the country, how do you plan to reach across the aisle in order to pass legislation?
As a new legislator, I’ve been intentional about reaching out to my colleagues on the other side. I think we have to get past our differences, produce legislation and policy that is going to benefit everybody in Minnesota. That is needed, even more so now. I am really intentional about reaching out and trying to find common ground for residents and our community. Continue reading.