Author: Op Ed

A century ago, African American citizens of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had their community decimated within the span of eighteen hours. Spurred by a rumor of alleged sexual assault of a white female by a Black teenager in an elevator, the Black neighborhood was under siege by a mob of whites fueled by jealousy and hate. Hours of unending gunfire, arson, looting, and physical violence emerged; while simultaneous dropping of turpentine bombs served as a horrific crescendo. Among the ashes lay the bodies of Black men, women, and children who had been killed by a deputized white...

May 25 was the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. There was a wave of international protests. People said enough was enough. So with the unprecedented attention and uprisings, what did we get accomplished? What are we working towards? Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ task force on racial disparities is moving its recommendations through committee. The recommendations include things like putting police departments’ use-of-force policies online and keeping employee records. All decent ideas, but none of those things would have kept George Floyd and other victims of police violence alive. Instead of merely putting use-of-force policies online, I...

Wisconsin’s budget committee recently voted – yet again – to turn down the opportunity to expand the state’s Medicaid program, thereby eliminating the opportunity to provide health care and long-term care services for more Wisconsinites and declining more than $1.6 billion in federal funding. The $1.6 billion in new federal resources is the best way to bolster our health system and help Wisconsin bounce back by investing in the people of our state, their businesses, their families, their health care providers, and their health. People across Wisconsin need the health care, nursing home care, home care, and more that...