Dear Elected Officials:
As we commemorate Juneteenth Day today, a day commemorating this day in
1865 when General Gordon Granger led thousands of federal troops to
Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended and slaves had been
freed. Three weeks ago, we watched in dismay as the life of George Floyd was
squeezed from his body by Officer Derek Ghauvin who placed his knee on Mr.
Floyd’s neck while excreting pressure for eight minutes and forty-eight seconds.
This action started a chain reaction that reverberated around the world.
People have been calling for the end of systematic racism and police reform that
has stemmed from American’s original sin, “Chattel Slavery”. Confederate
monuments have been removed from prominent places, which were erected both
in the United States and abroad.
We the members of this community are calling on a much more significant act of
healing the aggressions of the past against African-Americans who are being
victimized by the remints of this white supremacy ideology and are asking you to
stand up against this repressive system. We are also asking that slavery be
abolished once and forever in the State of Wisconsin.
Remove Section Two of Article One of the Wisconsin State Constitution, which
states: “There shall be neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude in this state,
otherwise than for the punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been
duly convicted.“ It is time to completely condemn this promotion of a white
supremacy system of hate and bigotry that has caused such anguish in this
country once and for all.
If Mars Inc., maker of Uncle Ben’s rice, and Quaker Oats, maker of Aunt Jemima
syrup, can see that the perpetuation of supporting the antiquated false teaching
of the antebellum south are divisive stereotypes that are disrespectful at the least
are damaging: CAN’T YOU?
Please support legislation for the immediate removal of the divisive language that
supports a system whose legacy is causing such division in our state and our
country.
Sincerely,
Rev. Willie Brisco
ACLU Wisconsin
YWCA Southeast Wisconsin
Darryl Morin President/Chairman of the Board Forward Latino
Ellen Gilligan President/CEO Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Fred Royal, Jr., President NAACP Milwaukee Branch
