Madison, WI is usually ranked as one of the top cities to live in the country. Why not, right? Two lakes, the State Capitol, World Class University, great public schools, four seasons, quick access to Milwaukee and Chicago, a thriving theatre scene, top concerts, Concerts on the Square, etc…. Great place to live.
Unless you are a person of color!
Wisconsin ranks among the worst states in terms of racial equality, the report found. Gaps are extreme and are not isolated to one area.
In terms of economic opportunity, Wisconsin is the third worst state for African American unemployment. Nearly 12 percent of African-American workers were unemployed, defined as actively seeking work but unable to find jobs, in 2015 compared to 3.9 percent of white workers.
The state ranks as nearly the worst — second only to Illinois — for the highest racial disparity rates in the labor force and third in the nation for racial inequalities in household income.
Black families in Wisconsin are 5.3 times more likely than white families to live in poverty — the second highest in the nation, according to the report. Additionally, almost half of African American children in the sate live in poverty and are 3.8 times as likely as white children to live in poverty.
Sure that covers the whole State of Wisconsin, but Madison is the heart of the state and no more welcoming than anywhere else.
Nothing shows us that more than local current events.
In the Spring elections coming up (I know the Fall elections are not even over yet) Mayor Soglin’s term is up. While the old hippie bowed out of the race, then decided that he could was not going to leave government willingly and jumped right back in. This time though, there are seven others(Satya Rhodes-Conway, Michael Flores, Toriana Pettaway, Raj Shukla, Nick Hart, Brenda Konkel, Maurice Cheeks) from all different backgrounds and all walks of life.
If only every race in our state had such diversity.
Then we find that while an exciting, diverse, multi cultural race is taking place for Madison’s Mayor, that makes people feel like they are WOKE, we see that actually in Madison, many are sound asleep.
Edgewood High School, on the west side of Madison, wants to put in a new athletic stadium to surround their awesome new football field with 1200 seats, lighting, sound system, etc…
Hoping to play night games at home, Edgewood High School is seeking city approval for a controversial $1 million stadium with 1,200 seats, lights, sound and more to serve its $1.5 million, state-of-the-art artificial surface field and track.
Edgewood, which hasn’t played a varsity football game on campus in two decades due to lack of lights, believes the time is ripe for a stadium because a prior agreement to play its home games at Breitenbach stadium in Middleton is no longer feasible, other facilities are heavily booked, and new lighting and sound technology can minimize impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
What is keeping Edgewood from building this stadium for their five football Friday nights a year? The Neighborhood association of course.
“In general, my constituents are not yet convinced,” Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association president David Hoffert said.
Yes neighborhood associations I believe are where the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) phrase was born.
However no one and nothing exemplifies the contrast that is Madison more than a letter written by Andrea kaminski regarding the Edgewood stadium. Kaminski is legendary for her work with the League of Women Voters and now that she is retired, wrote a Letter to the Editor Recently telling the children of Edgewood, she did not want them bugging her or disturbing her 5:30 Pinochle game.
The concerns of neighbors have been dismissed as just what we should expect when we live near a high school. No. First, we expect them to be truthful with us. Secondly, this proposal goes way beyond what any quiet neighborhood should expect.
High-mount night lighting, an amplified sound system broadcasting prerecorded pep rally music, and sports announcers at a sound level that can be heard over crowd noise and the crowd noise itself are not compatible with the residential district that is immediately next door.
Neighbors recently measured the impact during a Waunakee High School football game with a small rainy day game crowd, and recordings are posted on YouTube. Even from 750 feet away, measured sound levels exceeded 67 dB. Edgewood High School has proposed solutions to mitigate the disruption, but neighbors have reason to be wary after seeing the school break the promises it made in the master planning process.
GET OFF OF HER LAWN!
She helped us with elections for years and now she just wants to sit on her porch in silence and watch the birds.
I get it, but to be part of a society we all have to work together and we can not continue to pretend that we are a Progressive community and city when we put our own selfish needs above our communities and our neighbors.
We need to be a shining example of how we live our lives, and how we treat our neighbors.
I do not want to just pick on the Madison Edgewood neighborhood. I deal with the same thing on the East side.
Directly across the street from Monona Grove High school, amidst all of the Tony Evers and Tammy Baldwin yard signs, sits another sign. The signs that say no parking during school hours, which are visible right over the gate that Madison put up to keep the Monona Grove kid out.
It is time, as hopefully the era of Scott Walker led selfishness and The Donald led racism, to disappear and maybe it is time we all took a look in the mirror to see how Woke we really are!
PS: Andrea and all of her neighbors – “Let Them Play!”
