About Sarah
About Sarah
Hi, my name is Sarah Yang, and I’m running to become our next Ramsey County Commissioner in District 7.
I am a:
Proud Hmong daughter of refugees, a young woman of color, and a renter.
The first in my family to achieve the milestone of earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Dedicated Academic Coordinator at TRIO Upward Bound.
Proud DFLer with a track record of electing champions of equity and progress to all levels of government.
Compassionate and driven neighbor who has committed my life to building safe, sustainable, and thriving communities for all of us across race, gender, class, age, and ability.
My Story
My parents, Yia Ntxoov Nyiaj Yang and Sandy Moua Yang, were displaced from their home country of Laos and took refuge in the United States in 1992 as a result of political persecution following the Secret War. I was born in Yuba City, CA, and am the fifth of eight children. My family moved to Minnesota in 2005 in search of better job opportunities and to be closer to family. I’m a family-oriented person, and one of my favorite activities is spending time with my 13 nieces and nephews. I am happily engaged to my wonderful fiancé, Vaj Tsheej Thao, and we’re both excited to raise a family in North Saint Paul where my family and I are so proud to call our home.
Having a strong sense of community and belonging has always been important to me because I grew up in a low-income household where my family didn’t have a stable place to call home as we moved constantly, never settling down. I'll always remember that even though we grew up not having wealth, we were always wealthy in love, resilience, and community. I gained a profound understanding and appreciation for the concept of home when my family purchased our first house. Through that experience, I grasped the significance of housing stability. I developed a deep connection to housing justice work, ensuring that all people have stable, safe, and dignified housing, with no exceptions. This led me to discover even more hopes and dreams that I have for the community and aim towards building every day--racial, economic, gender, and climate justice.
I am also a caregiver for my mom who is disabled and currently living on a fixed income. I put care in the center of everything I do because this is how we can make sure we transform all aspects of the systems we live in to be a caring economy and caring community.
Sarah and colleagues meeting with U.S. Senator Tina Smith in Washington D.C. to advocate for federal funding of TRIO in 2023
Passion In Action
All of these values shape me to be who I am today in being a people’s champion. It's what inspired me to become an advisor serving as a pillar in the lives of our young people and advocating for important programming, like TRIO, at the federal level to invest in our younger generations.
It’s also what inspired me to get involved in politics and to now make this important decision to run for Ramsey County Commissioner of our district. My work is informed by the phenomenal experiences I’ve had serving in important positions, such as a former organizer in the MNDFL’s Coordinated Field Team where I worked collectively in a team to Get Out The Vote for elected leaders such as Governor Tim Walz, Ramsey County Commissioner Trista Martinson, Attorney General Keith Ellison, just to name a few. I also served as an organizer for Ramsey County Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong’s victorious campaign in 2022 and organizer and campaign manager for Saint Paul Councilmember Nelsie Yang’s historic wins in 2019 and 2023, respectively.
I love our community and am ready to take my leadership to the next level by doing what I’m so proud to have elected others to do these past seven years--leading boldly and unapologetically towards a people-centered government and politics that is equitable, effective, and ensures all people thrive from the bottom up. In the words of the late Senator Paul Wellstone,
“when we all do better, we all do better”.
I hope to earn your support at the DFL Convention on May 18!