Peggy Flanagan: Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor

by Jessica Engelking, Tashia Hart (Illustrator)

The Minnesota Humanities Center presents Minnesota Native American Lives, three stories of exceptional individuals across sports, language, and government!

Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. This is the second-highest office in the state. She is the first Native woman to hold such a high elected statewide office in the United States. Her whole life she knew that the school system doesn't tell American Indian stories in a true way. Peggy is working hard to change how Native peoples' stories are told and to make life better for all Minnesotans. Her story is a Minnesota Native American life. The Minnesota Native American Lives Series includes biographies of Charles Albert Bender, Ella Cara Deloria, and Peggy Flanagan. Read all three!

Genres: Biography, Middle Grade, Nonfiction, Juvenile

64 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2021

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful middle grade biography about Minnesota's Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan! Peggy Flanagan Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor is a part of the Minnesota Humanities Center and Minnesota Indian Affairs Council's Minnesota Native American Lives Series: https://mnhum.org/stories-and-culture...

I learned a ton reading this quick biography, and I was incredibly moved hearing more about Peggy's story and her passion for bringing people together. I highly recommend this story, and I can't wait to read the other two biographies in the series.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was an informative and moving quick read!
#PeggyFan

[Jennybeast · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important series, and it's especially important that it covers contemporary figures in major roles -- and the book does a good job explaining why it is important in very simple terms. I think this particular title is better for younger kids/struggling readers than some of the others in this series. Lots of short sentences, repetition, and the narrative style is 3rd person active voice, so it feels structured for readers who need a little help. I found it less engaging than some of the other books in the series, but I'm not the intended audience, and different things appeal to different readers. Really excited to learn more about Peggy Flanagan, though, and this book also does an excellent job showing microaggressions and explaining some of the challenges that racism creates.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade-ish biography of Peggy Flanagan, who grew up not really knowing her Ojibwe relatives and culture (she was raised by her mom, who was not Ojibwe), but ends up studying Ojibwe language and culture in college and becomes an activist and eventually lieutenant governor of Minnesota.

Also shows what can happen when someone becomes interested in their studies. She had a 1.75 GPA in high school, but did much better in college, first motivated by music and then by her Ojibwe studies.

Does mention some instances of racist bullying.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like the schedule, though I certainly agree with the concept behind the series.

One of the really interesting things is at the point where it ends it mentions COVID and everything having changed. (The book was published in 2020.) So even with that, there was the election, where she would have become governor if Walz had become vice president. That would have been a lot of change. Without that, there is still more change coming.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Peggy has embraced something her mentor told her. She was told to reject the idea of walking in two worlds. Ojibwe women (ikwe) are Ojibwe women all the time. This identity is not something she steps out of when she steps into another role. Rather than walking in two worlds, she walks in one big, complicated, sometimes messy world."

[Sarah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonus star for the excellent timeline at the back of the book.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational story about overcoming challenges and believing in yourself!