Race officials say they don’t know how much blame to place on a controversy involving Planned Parenthood, noting that a difficult economy has hurt many fundraising efforts. Gloria Ladson-Billings, a UW-Madison professor who describes her views on abortion as somewhat conflicted, said she had some initial concerns with Komen?s handling of the Planned Parenthood issue but has decided to continue participating in the race.
“It became clear to me that the local chapter wasn?t linked to any of this, and in the end, I feel the race is so important it outweighs some of the other stuff.” Ladson-Billings, a breast cancer survivor, organizes a team of more than 100 people through Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Madison.