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Preliminary census data for Wisconsin shows state’s poverty level lowest since before Great Recession

New Census data released in September contained mixed news relating to national trends in income, poverty and health insurance coverage across the United States. The new data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) show that there were 38.1 million Americans in poverty in 2018. That’s an unacceptably large number, but there are a few positive findings in the new poverty and income data: The official poverty measure fell for the fourth straight year in 2018, dropping to 11.7% from 12.3% in 2017 That change reflects 1.4 million fewer people in poverty last year, compared to 2017, and for the...

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Reggie Jackson: Why I Don’t Celebrate Columbus Day

The things Americans don’t know about Columbus explains to me why the nation celebrates Columbus Day. We all learned the same story of Columbus “sailing the ocean blue and discovering America.” For the most part, our schools still teach this story. To those who know better, the story is obviously not accurate. To begin with, it is not possible to discover a place where millions of people already live. Is Columbus responsible for the genocide of the indigenous population? The answer to this question depends on whom you ask. Once again, for those who know better the answer is...

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Big Cannabis: Billions up for grabs as states move to legalize marijuana

If Wisconsin legalizes medical or recreational marijuana, state regulations would drive whether small and minority-owned businesses thrive, or even survive. The historic hub of black culture on the south side of Chicago called Bronzeville bears the marks of disinvestment, white flight and redlining common to many of the city’s black-majority neighborhoods. Along the expansive South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, lines of greystones alternate in and out of disrepair, and many of the district’s blocks that were once home to vibrant institutions — earning it the name “Black Metropolis” — are now mottled with overgrown, vacant lots. A...

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Activists rally for second week demanding Fire and Police Commission action on SOP130 policy

Community members gathered to rally at City Hall for a second week in a row on October 3, to seek support from the Fire and Police Commission to forbid collaboration between the Milwaukee Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Nearly three dozen concerned residents also gave testimonies to the Fire and Police Commission during its public hearing to evaluate the city contract of Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales. Speakers included Kristine De la Cruz, wife of Jose De la Cruz-Espinosa and the Milwaukee man who was detained by ICE with the assistance of the MPD last week....

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Reggie Jackson: My family’s story of being enslaved and our forced migration

“As enslaved people had children and the enslaved population grew, slaveholders in areas that had once seen massive in-migration of enslaved people through migration and purchase – upcountry South Carolina, central Kentucky, through central Tennessee into northern Alabama, the Natchez District of Mississippi, parts of Georgia and Alabama – found themselves in possession of “surplus” labor. Slaveholders thus enriched themselves not just through slaves’ production of cotton but through their reproduction. This agonizing and traumatic experience of uprooting and separation from families through the domestic slave trade crossed the American South in complicated and ever-changing patterns.” – The Forced...

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Gary Grunau: Civic champion and transformative Milwaukee real estate developer dies of cancer

Visionary Milwaukee developer Gary Grunau died at the age of 80 on September 24 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. Despite his diagnosis and treatment, Grunau continued to charge forward, focused on the city’s future and community development. Grunau’s efforts to revitalize a demoralized Milwaukee, after its post-manufacturing decline, stretched over the past decades. They were transformative for the city’s health, and stand as a public symbols of his social commitment and personal achievements for generations to come. “Our father, grandfather and husband fought this battle as he lived his life, with kindness, humor, fortitude, integrity, humility and...

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