Education is the key

This week, it was hard for me to read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, “Teacher ranks shrink in area.” The article highlighted a Public Policy Forum report that found Milwaukee Public Schools have lost 730 teachers over the five year period since Governor Walker enacted Act 10, which stripped nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers, such as teachers. 

The report also revealed a huge racial gap between teachers and students. According to the report, 29 percent of MPS teachers are racial minorities. Compare that to MPS’s data that shows 86.1 percent of our students are racial minorities. At a time when 85 percent of our students read below grade level, something has got to change. We need more teachers, particularly more teachers of color, to connect with our young people and improve our educational outcomes.

During my time in the state legislature I’ve got more experience fighting for funding to increase public education as a member of the state’s Joint Committee on Finance than any other Democrat in the Legislature. I’ve voted against cut after cut Governor Scott Walker has made to funding of public education, including his largest cut to public education in our state’s history. Our schools are the center of our communities and education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. We should be investing in our public schools, not divesting!

Appeals court in Milwaukee begins an all-female era

As an attorney and a woman, it's with excitement that I recognize the District I Court of Appeals in Milwaukee is, for the first time, made up completely of women! Judges Rebecca Bradley, Joan Kessler, Patricia Curely and Kitty Brennan have all broken an important glass ceiling in our community.

Statewide, seven out of 16 Court of Appeals judges are women, which is truly an accomplishment. However, I remain disappointed that only one Court of Appeals judge is a person of color. There's always room for improvement!

View full article from the Journal Sentinel here.

Frank Petersen, Marines' First Black Aviator and General, Dies at 83

I was saddened to learn retired Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen, who made history twice as the first African-American aviator in the Marine Corps and then as the Corps' first African-American general, died at 83, this week. Petersen flew more than 350 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam.

In his 1998 autobiography, "Into the Tiger's Jaw: America's First Black Marine Aviator," Petersen wrote at length about the racism and opposition he encountered as he made his way up the ranks. Immediately upon entering the military in 1950, he wrote, "I knew I had a problem as soon as I assessed the racial situation."

Although Lt. Gen. Petersen is talking about the racial climate in the 1950's, we should remember there is still a lot of work to be done, and a lot of progress to be made. I challenge all of us to be trailblazers like Mr. Peterson.

Taking it to the Streets

Knowing your rights is something I have learned the importance of as an attorney, a legislator, and a mother. Our prison population is rising rapidly, and this is one of the biggest economic challenges facing the city of Milwaukee. I want to inform everyone in my community of their rights, because all too often people are misinformed or misled into incriminating themselves, or simply giving up their rights. A little knowledge can go a long way.

I’m working to address these problems, through legislation and free legal clinics. We’re also doing our best to make available resources and information in areas like family law, criminal law, employment law, traffic/drivers’ license recovery, expungement and safe surrender. As part of this effort, I’d like to invite you all to my church, Greater New Birth Church on 8234 W. Silver Spring Ave., on Saturday, August 29, from 12 noon to 4pm for an event called Taking it to the Streets- Know Your Rights! to address some of these issues. I will be there to welcome you all, so I hope to see you there!

As

Community Info:

 Quote of the Week:

“It’s nice when there is a first, but the last thing America needs is a first and an only.”

- Retired Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen

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