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Milwaukee gathers for 2016 Juneteenth
festival When a community comes
together to celebrate their history, their culture, and their remembered overcoming
of struggle, there lies a beautiful sight like no other. It is a moment of
joy for where we are and a moment of pride for where we will still go. This
moment is what the people of Milwaukee walk in together during the
festivities of Juneteenth Day. On Sunday, Milwaukee’s MLK Drive again hosted
the annual Juneteenth festival. Juneteenth celebrates the
official end of slavery in the United States, recognized by history on June
19, 1865. This date is notably two years after President Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last slaves in
Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth Day is a festival that deserves commemoration.
Black people have the opportunity to gather our businesses, our art, our
voices, our footsteps, and our food and remember the significance of this
day. Its impact on the black community charged my efforts to author the
resolution making Juneteenth an official Wisconsin holiday. It is a service I
find necessary to honoring the history of black culture and it is a service
that I continue to uphold in my work. My staff and I were excited
to again be a part of the opening parade, and to see the public come join
this occassion. We thank the Milwaukee community for continuing to make this
festival possible. I look forward to next year. It’s
time for Wisconsin to ban slavery Did you know that
Wisconsin’s Constitution allows slavery? Take a minute, because I didn’t
believe it when I heard it at first either. Currently, Article I,
Section 2 of Wisconsin’s Constitution states, “There shall be neither
slavery, nor involuntary servitude in this state, otherwise than for the
punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” The
constitution leaves the door open for slavery in prisons and it must be
closed. Wisconsin’s constitutional slavery ban shouldn’t come with a
loophole. Slavery is never okay, even in prison. My bill in the 2017
legislative session strikes language that allows slavery and involuntary
servitude (labor without pay), for those convicted of a crime. If my bill
passes, it would have to pass the next legislative session in 2019 and then
it could appear on the 2020 ballot before it would become law. I know that’s
a long time, but my Senate district includes the 53206 zip code, which is the
most incarcerated zip code in the nation. I’ve got more constituents living
behind bars and far away parts of the state than any other legislator in
Wisconsin. I believe inmates are people too and my goal is to help them come
back to 53206 one day and help our community get stronger and better. If we are
going to start reforming our Department of Corrections, shouldn’t we start by
banning slavery within DOC? We are not free until everyone is free. I feel it
is my obligation to make sure that when we talk about liberty and justice for
all, it truly does mean for all! "Milwaukee 53206" premieres
to city public and leaders Milwaukee 53206, a
documentary film looking at the high incarceration rate of African-American
men from the city's 53206 zip code premiered on Tuesday June 14 at an event
that drew community members and several elected officials. I applaud Keith
McQuirter and his team for creating such a superb enlightening experience.
Muhibb Dyer, a former 53206 resident, narrates the film's introduction
and appears briefly in one scene. Part of the movie looks at
Wisconsin's “Truth in Sentencing” law, which limits early release, and its
effect on people who were sent to prison before the law was passed in the
late 1990s. As a state legislator during that time, Gov. Scott Walker was a
main author of the sentencing law. The audience, including
myself, in a Milwaukee theater stood and applauded at the end of the film. I
encourage people to see this film and make themselves aware of the struggle
that face our black men and their families. We mourn for the lost lives in Orlando We mourn the attack on all those in Orlando.
With a renewed sense of urgency and in memory of those who lost their lives
in the Orlando shootings, especially the LGBTQ community, we will continue
the work to create a world where we are all valued and respected and where
love is enough. No one deserves to face such a tragedy, simply for the
hateful and differing views of others. Violence and hate is much too
prominent in our world, but I encourage everyone to everyday champion
understanding and compassion. |
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Quote of the Week: "I have decided to stick
with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |
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