Category Archives: Wisdems Black Caucus

“We Are The Drum – A Rhythm In Wisconsin” 2012

Posted by Wonder Woman on

CAPITA (City At Peace In The Arts)

Productions Presents…

“We Are The Drum – A Rhythm In Wisconsin” 2012


Inspired by a distinctive movement for racial justice in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin.

http://capitaproductions.org/

Since 1990, CAPITA Productions (City At Peace In The Arts) has been presenting a Black History Program yearly for thousands in the Greater Milwaukee Area.

This year we are adding a very special and overdue segment which will celebrate those brave marchers and demonstrators, from all backgrounds, who risked their lives for the cause of civil rights, especially in Milwaukee. It will be a dramatic reenactment of the Underground Railroad, prominent in the Waukesha area; the escaped slave Joshua Grover, and Fr. Jim Groppi’s “March on Milwaukee”.

 

For 200 consecutive nights hundreds marched for open housing through rain, snow and fear of physical attacks. These heroes have not been properly honored until now. Their stories should be known by our youth as well as everyone in Milwaukee and across the nation.

 

We will celebrate those who lived this experience, sharing the stories of those who participated in the demonstrations, served on the NAACP Youth Council, Commandos, and all organizations that led or joined in some way, the historic Milwaukee’s Civil Rights Movement.

Public Shows:

Tickets are $10 (balcony) $15 (floor)per person

• Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 7:30pm

• Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 7:30pm

• Friday, March 2, 2012 @ 7:30pm

• Saturday, March 3, 2012 @ 7:30pm

PUBLIC SHOW TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

Buy Now Online http://www.capitaproductions.org/tickets.html

Student Shows:

Tickets are $4 per child.

For more info on the student shows,

Call Liz Coleman- 414-807-7322

• Tuesday, February, 21, 2012 @ 10:00am & 12:00pm

• Wednesday, February, 22, 2012 @ 10:00am & 12:00pm

• Monday, February, 27, 2012 @ 10:00am & 12:00pm

• Wednesday, February. 29, 2012 @ 10:00am & 12:00pm

All shows will once again take place at:

North Division High School Campus

Auditorium

1011 West Center Street

Milwaukee, WI 53206

Election Time is coming!

Posted by the editor on

I want to congratulate everyone who volunteered and supported the Recall Alberta Darling efforts!  Because of you, we successfully turned in 30,000 recall signatures! That’s about 9,500 more signatures than needed.  Now that Phase 1 is over, it’s time to turn it up a notch.

Now that we have collected the necessary signatures needed it’s now time to build our base, educate our family and friends, get out the vote, and give Alberta Darling the boot!  

Even though we haven’t nailed down a candidate to run against “Not my Darling”, we need you to fill out this General Volunteer Form.  This form will allow us to build for canvasses, phone banks, office work, or anything we may need to win Wisconsin BACK!  

I ask you to take 5 minutes out of your day to let us know your availability and commitment level to winning back Wisconsin and recalling Alberta Darling. I strongly encourage you to distribute this email amongst any supporters that you may know of.   

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to your ongoing support.  If you have questions, please contact me at davidc@wisdems.org.   

David C. Crowley

Democratic Party of Wisconsin

–
David Crowley
davidc@wisdems.org
–
Stephanie Findley, MSM
Wisdems Black Caucus Chair
Ph: (414) 750-6496

Authorized and paid for by Wisconsin Democratic Party Black Caucus Stephanie Findley, Chair, Michael Thomas, Treasurer

Blacks Need Not Apply: Why Coggs, Taylor, Grigsby and others need you to stay uninformed!

Posted by Wonder Woman on
 
 
 

Blacks Need Not Apply!

Why are our black representatives are so willing to look the other way ?

 

Blacks Need Not Apply: Why Coggs, Taylor, Grigsby and others need you to march and stay uninformed!

Talgo Trains & Blatant Racism Charges are Kept Quiet By Wisconsin Black Representatives & Unions.

Monday about 200 people marched to support Talgo Train Manufactures staying in Wisconsin to make 2 trains for our state and possibly other states if given federal grant monies. With an impending lawsuit including allegations of blatant racism against all blacks and white men over 30, should we be so quick to support this company or get them out of our state post haste?

Firstly, what you need to know is that our Governor “Diamond” Jim Doyle, hired Talgo outright with no bidding process. Despite the glaring fact that we do have companies in this state that wanted to become the next manufacturer of Wisconsin’s newest endeavor in transportation, our state representatives went to Spain to pay absurd amounts of our money regardless of the needs of our workers and businesses in our state.

This endeavor would have helped Wisconsin employees as well as businesses to actively seek bids and contracts from not only Wisconsin, but many Midwestern states to complete their train systems, which in turn would have helped our state’s existing job market and made permanent jobs for temporary and unemployed Wisconsinites. When Talgo leaves, all Wisconsin will be left with is 55 permanent jobs and a lingering train upkeep bill we cannot afford.

Our governor with the aid of our blindly following legislature sold the state out to Talgo and their lobbyists. Spencer Coggs was in to the Talgo lobbyists for thousands of campaign bucks and he was all too happy to look the other way to sell out his own people for profit. So now we must ask who else got a little Christmas bonus from Talgo to keep black Milwaukee silent on Monday; Grigsby, Taylor, Young?

Secondly, Talgo has been accused of requiring Wisconsin applicants to submit pictures along with their resumes and for not hiring qualified blacks and white men over 30 years of age.

 
 
 

Talgo has been accused of requiring Wisconsin applicants to submit pictures along with their resumes and for not hiring qualified blacks and white men over 30 years of age.

 

From the Blog Site Blogging Blue:

Edgar Enciso was the Human Resources Manager for Talgo. While Enciso was at Talgo, Inc.’s Seattle location for orientation, he uncovered discrimination against non-Spaniard employees by Spaniard management. As HR Manager, Enciso attempted to investigate and eliminate such practices, but George Hlebechuk, CFO, and Antonio Perez, CEO, blocked his efforts to enforce U.S. laws.  

During Talgo’s hiring process in Milwaukee, Yolanda Juanas, Director of Human Resources at Patentes Talgo, Marta Alonso Perez, Juanas’ assistant, and Javier Palomo, the future Facility Manager in Milwaukee, demanded that Enciso discriminate against applicants based on their age and ethnicity/national origin. Palomo also asked Enciso to provide pictures of each applicant as a screening tool. Moreover, Talgo’s representatives were interviewing and hiring people for the Milwaukee location on tourist visas, in violation of U.S. immigration laws.

For opposing and refusing to violate U.S. anti-discrimination laws, Enciso was fired as HR Manager on June 15, 2010, the day before Juanas and Alonso Perez arrived in Wisconsin for a second round of interviews.

http://bloggingblue.com/2010/10/12/talgo-caught-discriminating-based-on-age-ethnicity/

While there is more to the train story than time allows, we need to demand answers to these charges before one more dime is spent on Talgo and we need to sue them for any active racism practices that did occur in Milwaukee and other states.

While there are many other issues at stake here, the loss of farming jobs, the loss of road side businesses the impact on our air and quality of life in Wisconsin, the first and foremost issue should be to address the blatant racism and why are our black representatives are so willing to look the other way in this case. Politics does not always make good bed fellows!

Peace Family,

WW

Stealing your vote in Wisconsin

Posted by tmdreaders on

Dear DPW Black Caucus,

Have you heard the disturbing news? The Tea Party is trying to keep people of color and young adults in Wisconsin from voting in the upcoming election.

That’s right — Wisconsin Tea Party groups partnered with the Republican Party and Americans for Prosperity to implement an illegal scheme aimed at disenfranchising voters from vulnerable communities.1 What’s more, shadowy anonymous donors are trying to scare off voters by buying billboards depicting people of color being imprisoned for “voter fraud.”2

This is the surest sign yet of what’s at stake in this election. The Tea Party is so desperate to derail the change we voted in 2008 that they’re relying on disinformation and Jim Crow-era scare tactics in an attempt to keep people from exercising their right to vote. The most important thing you can do to help overcome these dirty tactics is vote, and make sure that your friends and family do as well. You can find your polling place here.

And you can do even more. Our friends at Video the Vote are looking for volunteers in your area to help document voting irregularities on Election Day. By recording activity at polling places, you’ll help keep the Tea Party and their Republican allies in check, and help to provide evidence in case they cross the line. You can sign up by clicking the link below:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/515?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=3

Around the country, the Tea Party is whipping its members into a frenzy with false allegations of voter fraud in Black, poor and young neighborhoods. Years of serious investigation by the Bush administration demonstrated once and for all that large-scale voter fraud is a myth.3 But Republicans continue to cling to this myth to justify repressive tactics at the polls that discourage minorities and poor people from voting.

One Wisconsin Now is the state progressive advocacy group that uncovered the Tea Party “voter caging” scheme. Here’s what they say about how it would have worked:4

Voter caging is a notorious voter suppression technique used to challenge the registration status of eligible voters to prevent him or her from voting in an election.
Usually, caging occurs when an official-looking, non-forwardable piece of mail is sent to a group of registered voters, often to minorities and students. The parties involved in caging then compile a list of voters whose mail was returned as undeliverable. On Election Day, these organizations will use the undeliverable mail to challenge voters at the polls, utilizing law enforcement and attorneys to support their challenges.

The goal of caging is two-fold. First, is to force as many voters as possible to cast provisional ballots, which require voters to follow-up the day after an election for the ballot to be counted. Historically, about 35% of all provisional ballots are never counted. Additionally, voters whose registration is challenged at the polling place are unlikely to have the required material to complete an Election Day registration, meaning the voter will be turned away at the polls.

The second goal is to create long lines at the polling place as the caging operation challenges voter after voter. Many people cannot afford to sit in line to vote for hours on end. Long lines discourage voters and many simply leave without casting a ballot.

Voter caging is a violation of the National Voter Rights Act of 1993 and is illegal.

It’s bad enough that this is happening in Wisconsin — but right-wing voter suppression schemes are in play all around the nation. In Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, and Illinois, right-wing goons are using false claims of voter fraud to keep Black folks and Latinos from casting ballots.5,6,7,8 They’re counting on keeping regular folks just like you from showing up at the polls so that the Tea Party can continue to bully its way into power.

An important way to stand up to these tactics and fight for the change we voted for two years ago is to make sure that you and everyone you know vote on Election Day. You can locate your polling place by clicking here.

And for those who want to do even more, one of the best things you can do is work with Video the Vote to record activity at the polls. Nothing scares people behind these voter suppression campaigns more than citizens armed with video cameras watching their every move. Please sign up for Video the Vote today, and encourage your friends and family to do the same:

http://videothevote.org/?ref=coc

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
October 29th, 2010

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU — your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=6

References

1. “One Wisconsin Now Exposes Voter Suppression Plans Between Republican Party of Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Groups,” One Wisconsin Now, 9-20-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/508?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=7

2. “Groups protest voter fraud ads,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10-12-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/514?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=9

3. “Right-wing voter fraud obsession leads to tens of criminal charges,” Salon, 10-27-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/521?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=11

4. Save Wisconsin’s Vote 2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/512?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=13

5. “Voters Complain About GOP Poll Watchers In N.C. County,” Talking Points Memo, 10-27-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/513?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=15

6. “Voter Fraud Allegations In Yuma County Turn Out Baseless,” Talking Points Memo, 10-26-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/510?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=17

7. “Texas Democrats: Department of Justice investigating reported voter intimidation in Houston,” The American Independent, 10-19-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/507?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=19

8. “Mark Kirk Sends Poll Monitors To ‘Vulnerable,’ Largely African-American Neighborhoods,” Talking Points Memo, 10-12-2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/509?akid=1643.870720.Bnr1uK&t=21

Stephanie Findley, MSM
Wisdems Black Caucus Chair
Ph: (414) 750-6496

From Stephanie Findley: GOP Attacks Black Community Once More

Posted by tmdreaders on

GOP attacks Black community once more

2 October 2010

By Stephanie Findley, Chair, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Black Caucus

Last week we saw the true colors of the Wisconsin Republican Party, when they got caught on tape in a plan to target and to suppress black votes with an illegal move called “voter caging.”

Back in the day, they kept African Americans home on voting day by using burning crosses and outright violence.

But today, the Republican Party is a lot smarter, because they know that the independent voters that they try to hoodwink wouldn’t stand for that. No, this brand of racism is a lot more sophisticated. But it is definitely still racism.

Don’t believe me?

If Republicans and their Tea Party buddies were really worried about voter fraud, why did they test out their underhanded schemes right here in Milwaukee, in the 16th Assembly district. It’s an overwhelmingly African American district, and it’s also where the Tea Party and the Republicans have been trying out their “voter caging” plot.

That plot was uncovered after someone turned over the tape of a voter-caging instructional session to a Madisonbased advocacy group that, among other things, works to protect voter rights.

The Tea Party thug in charge was approached by reporters and made like it was funny that he got caught, and in the tape you can hear him complaining about “the minorities.”

This man’s name is Tim Dake and nobody in our community has ever heard him or seen him working to fix the problems here of crime, of poverty, of lack of jobs. But he has sent his angry mob into our community, and hatched this plot with Republicans, as an up-to-date version of those burning crosses, and a way to keep us home on Nov. 2, so that people like Scott Walker, whose campaign likes to make racist jokes, and Ron Johnson, who believes that blacks are inferior, can get elected.

Republicans are out there again this year, trying to advance the lie that there’s a great deal of voter “fraud,” out there. But to them, any time a Black person votes, it looks like fraud. Why else do they focus their plots and their plans our way?

Why else do the Republicans buy big billboards in our community trying to strike fear into voters by showing Black people behind bars? Why don’t they buy billboards that tell us their jobs plans, or how they’ll help improve health care in the community?

If you think I’m mad about this, you’re right.

But I hope you’ll join me in getting even, instead of getting mad. The way we can do that? Make sure you don’t let the Tea Party’s later-day burning crosses keep you home on Nov. 2. Tell them you won’t back down to their intimidation. Get out and vote.

–
Stephanie Findley, MSM
Wisdems Black Caucus Chair
Ph: (414) 750-6496