On November 21, 2022, politicians, activists, and local media gathered at the Minnesota state capitol for a statue unveiling. An impressive list of speakers was lined up, including Governor Tim Walz, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, former attorney general Skip Humphrey (son of former vice president Hubert Humphrey), and Minnesota AFL-CIO president Bernie Burnham.

The statue was of Nellie Stone Johnson, born on this day in 1905. As a labor and civil rights activist, she was almost legendary within Minnesota but virtually unknown nationally. The assemblage of fairly mainstream political leaders who gathered in her honor may obscure the fact that she should be remembered as a key figure in this country’s democratic socialist tradition, which viewed struggles for economic and racial justice as inseparable.

Johnson’s esteem within Minnesota’s political culture also speaks to the success of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL) in becoming a major player in the state’s politics, and arguably one of the most successful third-party efforts in US history. Nellie dedicated her life to the DFL, acting as a link between the party and important labor and civil rights constituencies.