JANESVILLE
Growing up in Janesville, Janie Donaldson Mullen was in awe of her fashion designer mother. As a child, she quickly learned to sew and was taught pattern making by her mom. When she grew up, Mullen became a secretary after college. But, she quickly realized it was not for her.
Her mom encouraged her to do something she knew well.
âYou know how to quilt. Why don ât you get yourself a quilting machine and finish other peopleâs quilts for a living?â Mullen recalled her mother saying.
Mullen started quilting professionally in 1980 and since has become well-known in the quilting world. In 1989, she won âBest in Showâ at her first quilting show in Milwaukee. That success led her demonstrating her skills at several quilting expos and a co-hosting on for âQuilt Central TV,â which aired on public television stations. The show was taped in Paducah, Kentucky, from 1999 to 2008.
Thanks to $2 million from a Minnesota-based nonprofit, the Rock County Human Services Department is going after racial disparities in the child welfare system, which a department official said are
JANESVILLE
In hopes of addressing the racial disparities in the local youth justice system, Rock County officials want to target discrimination against youth of color in three key areas.
Kendra Schiffman, a data analyst with Rock County Human Services, highlighted three âdecision pointsâ during a presentation Thursday: arrests, detention and disposition.
Racial biasâwhether implicit or explicitâexists with everyone in every part of the youth justice system, she said, and targeting the decision points specifically and intentionally can help overcome what contributes to the disparities.
Racial disparities remain prevalent for Black youth in Rock County even though the total number of youth arrests has fallen over the last decade, according to data Schiffman shared earlier in fall.