Newly-elected Minnesota State Representative Susan Allen knows what it is like to be the first.

She is the first Indigenous woman elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives - ever.

She is also the first “out, lesbian, American Indian” to serve in elected office - at any level, anywhere in our country.

The daughter of the Rev. Philip Allen, Rep. Allen describes how her experiences as an “out, Native American, Episcopalian, priest’s kid” shaped her and helped prepare her to run for office.

Susan is Lakota, Dakota and Anishinabe. She is a tax and tribal law attorney who has always been active in the community through considerable nonprofit and pro bono work.