Official Government Communication

Dear Friend,

Welcome to my email newsletter. There is a lot happening at the State Capitol and it is my hope that this email will help you stay in touch with your government. As your Senator, I truly believe in public service. If there is anything my office can do to assist you, please feel free to contact us.

Here to serve,

      

Sen. Lena Taylor

4th District

Black History Month - not over yet!

As one of the few black legislators in Wisconsin, I spend February hosting events for Black History Month. We members of the Legislative Black Caucus have been busy for months planning and executing events to draw attention to the issues we face as a community. We’ve had so many great discussions and presentations, and I’m already thinking about next year!

To end Black History, I hosted a week dedicated to discussing the disparities in our criminal justice system and the difficulties to successful reentry. We kicked our week off with an art display by formerly incarcerated artists called “Beyond the Bars.” These artists told us truly inspiring stories about how they’ve used art to better their lives and become better citizens.

Later this week, we had members from Grow Academy set up shop in the Capitol for a Grow Academy Farmer’s Market! These kids have been using agriculture and entrepreneurship to rehabilitate, and I’m so proud of the work they’re doing. We also held movie screenings, presentations, and workshops all week to draw attention to these issues and discuss how we can reshape the criminal justice system.

We’re not done just yet. Come join us next Tuesday, February 28 at the State Capitol for Lobby Day! Lobby Day is a great opportunity for us to meet as a community and speak about the issues that are important to us. You can find tickets for the day as well as information about transportation here. Registration is $20 which includes lunch. We hope to see you there!

ACLU sues Milwaukee police

On Wednesday, a suit was filed by The American Civil Liberties Union against the city of Milwaukee and its police chief over the department's stop-and-frisk policy. The lawsuit claims that the policy unfairly and illegally targets black and brown residents. The ACLU claims that Milwaukee police have mimicked New York-style stop-and-frisk; the same policy that was determined a violation of constitutional rights by a federal judge in 2013. This behavior is unacceptable, and I have always fought for justice and an equal protection of law. In the past, I passed legislation calling for more accountability and efficiency by our police department. Obviously, work still needs to be done. Our law enforcement officers are here to serve all of us. You should have the freedom to feel safe regardless of your skin color, and thankfully the ACLU also realizes that, and is fighting for what’s right.

Governor Walker: afraid of protestors

Earlier this week, Governor Walker spoke at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference where he urged conservatives to “stand strong” against the nation’s protestors, and ignore them because they don’t reflect the “reality” of our country’s voters. Apparently Walker has forgotten the true reality of our voters – that they gave 3 million more votes to Hillary Clinton than they did to President Trump? Since ending his 71-day presidential campaign in 2015, Governor Walker has refused to host a single public town hall, instead holding invite-only listening sessions with lobbyists and campaign donors. Ignoring protestors is convenient for Walker, but I’m sorry to say that we won’t be ignored. Our masses are mobilizing, Governor Walker, and you will have to deal with that reality someday.

Bipartisan bill to modernize meeting minutes

I am excited to be part of a group of lawmakers who have drafted a bill removing the requirement of meeting minutes to be posted in local newspapers. As part of a bipartisan effort to save money and increase public access to information, meeting minutes — a summary of what occurred at a public meeting, will instead be posted on the government entity’s website and in a public place for at least three years. People increasingly access information online, so in our digital age, posting minutes in local newspapers is an unnecessary expense. As the times change, so should we, especially if it means saving local government money. This is an easy way to keep our citizens informed while adapting to the advantages of technology.

 

 

 

Events & Opportunities

AgDiscovery – students aged 12-17 are encouraged to apply to this FREE summer enrichment program sponsored by the USDA. Participants will spend two weeks on a college campus learning about agriculture and animal sciences. The deadline is March 1st, find more information here:  

Page for a Day Program – do you know a young person interested in a unique opportunity to learn more about the state government process? Find more information on my Facebook page about the Page for a Day program!

Soar Women's Empowerment Summit - Get a fresh perspective February 23-25 at The SWES Summit! This summit is for women who are looking to foster business collaborations, network, and attend keynotes and panel discussions on entrepreneurship. Get tickets here.

Free movie screening! - On Monday, February 27th, the UWM Movie Theater will be showing the film Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Information can be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay in touch:

     Email: Sen.Taylor@legis.wi.gov

    Milwaukee:  414-342-7176

    Madison:     608-266-5810

 

   

   

 

 Quote of the Week:

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is an official government communication from Sen. Lena C. Taylor. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, click here to send me an email to unsubscribe.