By Meg Ellefson
May 25, 2021 | 1:06 PM
The Diversity Affairs Commission of the Marathon County Board has received a significant amount of attention from citizens for their very divisive âCommunity for Allâ Resolution which resulted in an insulting and one-sided hit piece by the
New York Times attacking the hardworking and wonderful citizens of Marathon County.
Today, on the WSAU Wisconsin Morning News, I read a fantastic letter submitted by a listener which was written to Yee Xiong, Chair of the Diversity Affairs Commission of the Marathon County Board. Because I have received so many requests, I am making it available to read and share below. Itâs unfortunate that Mr. Xiong wasnât able to persuade the members of the Diversity Affairs Commission to support the compromise resolution that was discussed at length with community members who politely and very respectfully met with the Commission prior to the recent Executive Committee meeting. This resolut
New report reveals the conservative freakout over a simple community for all resolution in Wisconsin Lightburst / Wikimedia Commons
Some members of a rural Wisconsin community wanted to demonstrate a commitment to inclusion during the racial protests last year, but the debate over how to express that has ripped the town apart.
Older white conservatives in Marathon County, whose 135,000 residents are 91 percent white and backed Donald Trump by more than 56 percent in each election, objected to naming the resolution No Place for Hate, which they found too inflammatory, and the county board s executive committee shot down A Community For All last week with a 6-2 vote, reported the
Wisconsin County Argues For A Year, Decides Against Declaring Itself A Community For All
05/18/21 AT 4:27 PM
After almost a year of debate, the executive committee of the county board in Marathon County, Wisconsin, has voted against declaring its area “a community for all.” The largely symbolic measure has brought racial tensions above the surface in the area, and the hostility it’s exposed has some people of color considering packing up to move to more welcoming areas.
The proposal was originally entitled “No Place For Hate,” a monicker abandoned after it was deemed too inflammatory. Six revisions later, the final document called for the county to “achieve racial and ethnic equity to foster cross-cultural understanding and advocate for minority populations.”
Reggie Jackson, a Milwaukee historian, is head griot of America s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee:
The wait is nearly over, but it will be two months before the judge sentences former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. As people around the country rejoice in the verdict, I remind them that the sentencing might disappoint them, and Chauvin will likely appeal the verdict. To celebrate now makes some sense, but it is a premature celebration of the effort to fix policing in America.
It is in many ways like a baseball player who hits a homer on the first pitch he faces in the first game of spring training celebrating as if he has won the World Series. It feels good to see an officer who killed an unarmed Black civilian be found guilty. Let’s keep in mind how rare this is. It is rare for officers who kill unarmed Black people to be charged. A conviction is even more rare. An appropriate sentence even more rare.