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Aspiring Minneapolis lawmaker in hot water after suggesting she's too white to be elected
May 9, 2025
A Minneapolis City Council candidate is under fire after suggesting in a campaign email that she lacks the 'desired amount of melanin' to be elected.
Becka Thompson, a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner now running for the Ward 12 City Council seat, made the controversial comment while explaining her 'unpopularity' in challenging incumbent Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, who is Bengali-American.
In the email, Thompson acknowledged that some have implied she has a 'nefarious reason' for entering the race, but insisted she holds no negative views about her opponent's identity.
'I don't have a negative view about the immutable God given characteristics of anyone, especially my opponent,' she wrote.
'I think we are each created beautifully unique and I celebrate that every chance I get. That is not in play in my running. I'm here because I know how to read the financial projections and keep our city afloat,' Thompson continued.
Just a few lines later, the Park and Recreation Board Commissioner added, 'I might not have the right haircut, or the desired amount of melanin.'
Melanin is a natural pigment that determines the color of skin, hair and eyes.
Thompson continued defending her stance claiming she 'wasn't very good at doing the popular thing in high school either.'
'Maybe I didn't tweet the party line that one day or show up for that big protest with everyone else the next,' she wrote. 'I wasn't very good at doing the popular thing in high school either. It's just who I am.'
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