Esther Agbaje

Esther Agbaje (born March 19, 1985) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2021. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Agbaje represents District 59B, which includes portions of north and downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota.[1][2]

Esther Agbaje
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 59B district
Assumed office
January 5, 2021
Preceded byRaymond Dehn
Personal details
Born (1985-03-19) March 19, 1985
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MPA)
Harvard University (JD)
Occupation
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website

Early life, education, and career

Agbaje was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to parents who immigrated to Minnesota from Nigeria. She grew up in Brainerd and Faribault, and graduated from Shattuck-St. Mary's Boarding School.[1]

Agbaje graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor of arts in political science, the University of Pennsylvania with a master of public administration, and Harvard University with a juris doctor.[1] As a law student, she worked at Harvard's Legal Aid Bureau and volunteered for Volunteer Lawyers Network Housing Court Project.[3]

Agbaje worked at the United States Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer focusing on the Middle East.[3] She is an associate attorney with Ciresi Conlin LLP, where she practices in general civil litigation and medical malpractice. She also did pro bono work helping renters dealing with housing insecurity and evictions.[4][5]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Agbaje was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2020 and reelected in 2022. She challenged four-term DFL incumbent Raymond Dehn, winning the DFL endorsement and defeating Dehn in the primary election.[4][6][7]

Agbaje serves as vice chair of the Housing Finance and Policy Committee, and sits on the Elections Finance and Policy, Taxes, and Ways and Means Committees. She has served as an assistant majority leader since 2023.[1] Agbaje co-chairs the House People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and is vice chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus.[8][9]

Housing and tenants' rights

Agbaje has called for greater investment in housing, calling housing a human right, and authored a bill that would provide $45 million in funding to Minneapolis to repair affordable housing units.[10][11]

As vice chair of the Housing Committee, Agbaje authored many tenant protection provisions contained in the final housing budget, saying expungement of eviction filings was her top concern due to its impact on people's ability to find housing.[12] She sponsored legislation that gave more rights and protections to those who use self-storage units, especially those who have recently been evicted.[13]

The CROWN Act

Agbaje authored the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.[14] The legislation adds a definition of race that includes natural hairstyles and protects Minnesotans from discrimination based on hairstyle. Agbaje testified about her experience straightening her hair for fear of losing a job or not being perceived as professional.[15] The legislation passed the House in February 2022 but was not acted on by the Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate.[16] In 2023 the bill passed both houses of the legislature and was signed by Governor Tim Walz.[17]

Public safety and criminal justice reform

Agbaje signed on to a letter by U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar asking the Department of Justice to expand its investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department following the murder of George Floyd.[18] Agbaje lives in the building where Minneapolis police shot and killed Amir Locke and has been a longtime supporter of police reform, including banning no-knock warrants.[19][20]

In 2023 she authored legislation to eliminate fees that state inmates pay for phone calls, saying it will help inmates stay connected with their families and reenter society after incarceration.[21][22] She also wrote a law lowering the threshold for pardons and commutations from unanimous support of the state Board of Pardons to a two-thirds majority.[23]

During the 2021 Minneapolis mayoral election, Agbaje did not endorse incumbent Jacob Frey, and signed on to a letter that advocated for a "new mayor" who would do more to end racial disparities and increase public safety.[24] She supported voting "yes" on City Question 2, which would have renamed the Minneapolis Police Department the Minneapolis Department of Public Safety, removed minimum staffing levels for sworn officers, and shifted oversight of the new agency from the mayor's office to the city council.[25][26]

Other political positions

Agbaje is pro-choice, and in 2023 authored a bill that offered legal protections to patients who travel to Minnesota for an abortion and the providers who treat them.[27][28] She sponsored a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to access MinnesotaCare, the state's health insurance for low-income families.[29]

In 2023, Agbaje advocated against fully eliminating the state tax on Social Security income, saying it should be targeted to low- and middle-income seniors.[30] She joined environmental advocates in pushing for the closing of a metal shredder in North Minneapolis after a stockpile caught fire.[31]

Electoral history
2020 DFL Primary for Minnesota State House - District 59B[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Esther Agbaje 4,443 48.24
Democratic (DFL) Raymond Dehn (incumbent) 3,839 41.65
Democratic (DFL) Isaiah Whitmore 932 10.24
Total votes 9,211 100.0
2020 Minnesota State House - District 59B[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Esther Agbaje 17,649 74.35
Republican Alan Shilepsky 4,249 17.90
Green Lisa Neal-Delgado 1,804 7.60
Write-in 37 0.16
Total votes 23,739 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold
2022 Minnesota State House - District 59B[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Esther Agbaje (incumbent) 13,225 98.51
Write-in 200 1.49
Total votes 13,425 100.0
Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

Agbaje lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1]

References
  1. "Agbaje, Esther - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  2. "Rep. Esther Agbaje (59B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  3. Dernbach, Becky Z. (2020-08-12). "Esther Agbaje leads Raymond Dehn in Minnesota House race". Sahan Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  4. Montemayor, Stephen (May 9, 2020). "Veteran DFL lawmakers question virtual conventions after coming up short". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  5. "Governor Fayemi Celebrates Nigerian Lady "Esther Agbaje" Who Won An Election In The US". HLS Clinical and Pro Bono Programs. November 10, 2020.
  6. Van Oot, Torey (August 12, 2020). "Minnesota Legislature set for a shakeup as progressive activists defeat DFL stalwarts". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  7. Van Oot, Torey; Condon, Patrick (August 12, 2020). "Progressives shake up DFL incumbents in Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  8. Multiple authors. "OPINION EXCHANGE | Find room in the budget deal for communities of color". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  9. Dernbach, Becky Z.; Asher, Abe (November 19, 2022). "Minnesota voters sweep in the state's most diverse Legislature". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  10. Agbaje, Esther; Wonsley, Robin; Pree-Stinson, Samantha (2022-12-13). "Why we're fighting to fully fund public housing in Minnesota". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  11. Collins, Jon (2023-03-03). "Minneapolis asks for funds for public housing backlog". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  12. Callaghan, Peter (2023-06-15). "Unpacking the sweeping tenant rights changes made by the Minnesota Legislature". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  13. Callaghan, Peter (2021-08-05). "How reforming Minnesota's law governing self-storage units became an equity issue". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  14. Snow, Jasmine (August 1, 2022). "Black Twin Cities women find hope in law prohibiting discrimination based on hair". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  15. Nelson, Emma (February 28, 2022). "Minnesota House passes bill banning hair discrimination". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  16. Yuen, Laura (March 8, 2022). "A bill to ban hair discrimination has wide bipartisan support, but will it pass?". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  17. Ferguson, Dana (February 1, 2023). "'A more equitable Minnesota': Walz signs CROWN Act into law". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  18. Montemayor, Stephen (June 8, 2021). "Rep. Ilhan Omar leads call for DOJ to expand Minnesota federal policing probe". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  19. Brooks, Jennifer (February 2, 2022). "For lawmaker, a shooting by police hits home". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  20. Bakst, Brian (February 7, 2022). "This week at the Capitol: Focus on jobless fund". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  21. Faircloth, Ryan (March 31, 2023). "Minnesota inmates could make phone calls at little or no cost under public safety budget bills". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  22. Agbaje, Esther; Oumou Verbeten, Clare (2023-05-09). "Free prison phone calls can make Minnesota safer and families stronger". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  23. Krauss, Louis (April 4, 2023). "Felony pardon process up for consideration in state Legislature". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  24. Navratil, Liz (October 18, 2021). "Divided left field of Minneapolis mayoral hopefuls have unified message: Don't rank Frey". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  25. Multiple authors. "OPINION EXCHANGE | Minneapolis legislators: Vote yes on City Question 2 to expand public safety". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  26. Navratil, Liz; Mahamud, Faiza (October 1, 2021). "What you need to know about the Minneapolis charter amendments". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  27. Ferguson, Dana (2023-03-20). "Minnesota House passes bill that shields abortion providers, out-of-state patients". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  28. Nesterak, Max (2023-03-20). "Minnesota House passes abortion shield bill to protect women from out-of-state bans". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  29. Dernbach, Becky (2023-06-01). "From ethnic studies to healthcare, Minnesota lawmakers of color played pivotal roles in advancing policy". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  30. Pinto, Dave; Agbaje, Esther; Elkins, Steve; Howard, Michael (March 20, 2023). "Why tax-free Social Security doesn't make sense". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  31. Du, Susan (May 24, 2021). "Growing calls to shut down Minneapolis junkyard after fire last month". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  32. "2020 Results for State Representative District 59B Primary". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  33. "2020 Results for State Representative District 59B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  34. "2022 Results for State Representative District 59B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
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