Category: Community

Hundreds of people, including many of Madison’s top business and community leaders, gathered Friday night to hear how a group of influential African-American residents calling themselves the Justified Anger coalition plans to lead a broad-based attack on pronounced racial disparities in the city. … “It’s African-Americans coming together in ways I’ve not seen in my 30-plus years in this community,” Darrell Bazzell, vice chancellor for finance and administration at UW-Madison, told the crowd in his welcome.

“It’s the old idea to act locally,” UW-Madison Chief of Police Susan Riseling said. With help from the United Way, she is instituting a plan and task force, hoping to address the use of police force in Dane County. (Article also mentions Everett Mitchell, but does not identify him as UW-Madison director of community relations.)

“It’s the old idea to act locally,” UW-Madison Chief of Police Susan Riseling said. With help from the United Way, she is instituting a plan and task force, hoping to address the use of police force in Dane County.

The Boys and Girls Club if Dane County is working to change the undeniable problem of racial disparity in Madison through a paid summer internship program. UW-affiliated groups offering internships include UW Extension Plant Disease Diagnostics, UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Agricultural Lab, the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery and the Wisconsin Alumni Association.

Members of UW-Madison’s Black and Latino Law Student Associations are hoping a video they created will help as the community awaits a charging decision in the death of Tony Robinson. Qortney McLeod, co-president of the Black Law Student Association explains, “When you look around the country, and a lot of the things that are happening in, whether it be Ferguson or Baltimore or anywhere else, I think a part of the reason why people are so upset is because there’s not really an understanding of the process and the law behind what’s going in to making these decisions.”

A group of UW law students released a video Monday called, “Understanding Police use of Deadly Force.” They’re hoping this 14-minute educational video will help community members better understand the laws that surround deadly use of force and the legal review process that comes after an officer-involved shooting.

The video was put out by the University of Wisconsin Black Law Students Association and the Latino Law Students Association in response to the officer-involved shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson.

The 14-minute video was produced by members of organizations for black and Latino UW-Madison law students.

The Special Community/Police Task Force will be co-chaired by the Rev. Everett Mitchell of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church and UW-Madison Police Chief Susan Riseling. (Mitchell is also director of community relations for UW–Madison)

MILWAUKEE – Chris Limberg graduated from Racine Horlick High School and he is a UW-Madison alum.  Chris is on the front lines in mountain villages outside Kathmandu assisting those impacted by the earthquake in Nepal.

Amid recent protests following the fatal officer-involved shooting of Tony Robinson, pastor and attorney Everett Mitchell sought to educate Madison’s youth and community on their rights when interacting with police. Members of the Madison community gathered Tuesday night to hear Mitchell, who’s also director of community relations at the University of Wisconsin, discuss complexities of the criminal justice system.

UW-Madison alumna Brandi Grayson has gained widespread recognition as a co-founder and spokesperson for the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition, but her activism in Madison started long before the Coalition’s formation last fall. As a student at UW-Madison in the 1990s, Grayson served on Associated Students of Madison and campaigned to increase minority representation in student government.

Dozens of people in Madison took their dogs outside for a special walk to give back to their fellow furry friends in need. The group followed the Lakeshore Path on the UW-Madison campus for the annual Canine Campus Crawl. The two and a half mile run or walk is put on by UW’s Pre-Vet Club.

Inspired by the prairie-lined boundaries of a Dane County park, a UW student had the vision to create an interactive trail focusing on the local history of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Amanda Depagter, UW senior, developed the idea for the interpretive trail and brought it to the attention of the Dane County Parks Division.

Sixteenth Street Community Health Center staff was on hand along with scientists from UW-Madison’s Center for Limnology to talk about hydrology and even dip residents toes – covered with waders – into the river. They found fish, a few fish eggs and experienced what algae feels like.