Wisconsin bucked the trend of recent conservative victories by raising the LGBTQ pride flag this past weekend. Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order demanding that the flag be flown over the Capitol Building in Madison. In the order, Evers stated, “Publicly displaying the Rainbow Pride Flag sends a clear…
Tag: Wisconsin
Disparities In Employment, Education, Incarceration: Racism Declared Public Health Crisis in Milwaukee County
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele signed a resolution on Monday declaring racism and discrimination a public health crisis in the area. “Everybody has been reading and hearing about the same set of statistics in Milwaukee for decades,” Abele said. “We lead in an unfortunate way the racial disparities in employment,…
Wisconsin Teacher Asks Black Children to Research ‘Slave Games’
Lessons on racism have a whole new meaning in public schools, and they’re popular among white educators. A Shorewood Intermediate School teacher was instructing seventh-graders about games from around the world and separated the students by race. One of the Black students, MaHailey Stephens, said she and her Black classmates…
Wisconsin the First State to Implement Green Alert to Prevent Veteran Suicides
Concerns about privacy surface with this potentially life-saving bill. The Green Alert is issued in the same way Amber and Silver alerts are — on billboards or text messages. The criteria: a physical or mental health condition related to one’s service, whether veteran or active member of the armed forces,…
Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Call Kaepernick 'Controversial' and Remove His Name From Black History Resolution
Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick is so “controversial” to GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin that they refused to include his name in a resolution to honor prominent Black Americans during February. But for members of the Legislature’s Black caucus, Kaepernick, who was born in Wisconsin, is anything but controversial. The former…
White Man Calls Cops on Black Politician: 'They Are Waiting for Drugs at the Local Drug House'
Sheila Stubbs was canvassing a predominantly white neighborhood in her jurisdiction of Madison, Wisc., when the police showed up to question her. They asked how Stubbs knew what houses to approach, and for her materials, which she provided. Then police apologized, saying, “I’m sorry this happened to you.” The 911…
ACLU Fights Voter ID Laws, Early Voter Suppression
Last week a temporary solution in court granted about 17,500 people the right to vote this Election Day thanks to the efforts of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and the ACLU had been in a court battle over the state’s law requiring people…
Voter ID Laws Smacked Down as Being Overtly Racist
Recent court rulings in five separate states have overturned portions of voting laws the courts determined specifically restricted voting rights among minorities. Two unrelated federal court rulings on Friday explicitly stated that voter ID laws in North Carolina and Wisconsin were created to disenfranchise Black voters. On Monday, a federal…
Texas Voter ID Law Discriminates, Federal Court Rules
A strict voter ID law in Texas does indeed discriminate against Blacks and Latinos, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, saying the law violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, partially upheld a 2014 district court ruling, agreeing that the Texas…
Where’s the Diversity Paul Ryan’s Photo with Interns Called ‘World’s Whitest Selfie’
A hashtag on social media with the phrase “So white” has re-emerged. This time, it does not pertain to Oscar nominations, but rather House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) selfie with more than 100 Capitol Hill interns that shows a shocking lack of diversity #InternsSoWhite. “I think this sets a record…