Madison, WI
6/15/2020
Late this afternoon, several hundred people gathered at the corner of East Washington and 4th Street to call out to allies in the movement for Black Lives.
Speakers included Dr. Damita Brown of Dane County Time Bank, Justice Castaneda of Commonwealth Development, and County Superintendent Heidi Wegleitner, who discussed why the police are a poor investment. All of the speakers addressed the racial disparities in the city of Madison and Dane County, disparities that exceed those of some of the poorest states in the country. In addition, they called for action, not committees to investigate and put together reports and commissions—all of which have been done over and over again—but a real call for direct, immediate, real action:
1) Move immediately to start defunding the police
2) Community control of the police
3) Get the police out of schools now
4) Invest in Black people and communities
5) Free them all
6) Dismantle Capitalism
Furthermore, this rally was a call to primarily white allies to stand up, come out, and be a voice in this fight. The need for allies, co-conspirators, and accomplices is greater than ever as momentum for real change is once again possible. This is not the time for armchair allies!
Here is the statement from the event Facebook page:
Black leaders from all over the city, the country and even the world have been spending countless hours to let the world know that they refuse to go unheard any longer, to make sure we know not only that Black Lives Matter but that NOW is the time for resources and power to be shifted swiftly away from oppressive institutions and into the communities most impacted by racism, capitalism, and police violence. We cannot let all of the burden of organizing and acting fall on those communities. As allies in the Movement for Black Lives, it is beyond time for us to do our part. It is our turn to stand up, speak up, and put our bodies and resources into the movement.
When we follow the lead of Black leaders, the whole world benefits. As Otis Madison once said, “Racism is to control the behavior of white people.” Let that sink in. If it weren’t for racism, people of all colors would have long ago banded together and risen up against the elites who are making all of our lives more difficult. Many accomplished Black scholars including Robin DG Kelley and Cedric Robinson have written about the crucial psychological role of race in covering for the abuses of capitalism. Imagine all that we could accomplish if the 99% could finally unite!
This event was sponsored by:
new normal photography 