Guest column/Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk
Reducing racial disparities
Reducing racial disparities
Dane County is a beautiful and diverse county — filled with farms and cities, country trails and urban paths. The
diverse residents of Dane County echo its geography. Not one section more beautiful or extraordinary than the other—
just different, but with common values.
Our community is facing a challenging issue that hurts our county and, in fact, the entire State of Wisconsin.
Racial disparities in the criminal justice system in our state have been among the highest in the nation and our county
has unfortunately been among the top in the state. This is not an achievement to be proud of; rather, it is a stigma on
our community.
What can each of us do to change the disparities? I encourage an open dialogue with friends and colleagues,
along with those who share a completely different viewpoint. It is in these discussions and open conversations that we
learn, understand and ultimately remedy these disparities.
I and County Board Chair Scott McDonell created a Task Force made up of talented individuals from all areas of
the criminal justice system: from community based organizations, law enforcement, corrections and the courts. We
asked them to review the recommendations offered by the Governor’s Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities and to
investigate how we can implement changes on the local level. Your voice is critical to helping the Task Force do a
great job. Public hearings are scheduled in March, April and May to discuss criminal justice issues in an open format.
This task force is charged with looking at the criminal justice system from all angles to ensure no innate bias occurs. That
indeed all are treated equally, that the color of one’s skin or width of one’s wallet is not the determining factor in
policing, charging and sentencing. I am hopeful the task force can make recommendations that change any internal
paradigms that adhere to discrimination.
As our community grows and changes, we have a great opportunity to learn from each other. The old time Dane
County residents — those whose families farmed and helped developed our cities, towns, and villages — can learn from
the fresh perspective of newer residents, and vice versa. If we are willing to talk to each other, share with each other, and
ultimately learn from each other, our ability to solve the issue of racial disparity will lead to a stronger population base, a
stronger commitment to justice, and a stronger community for everyone.
The first public hearing will be held on March 16th from 5-7 pm at the Sun Prairie Library, 1350 Linnerud Street,
Sun Prairie, WI. Subsequent public hearings are scheduled for April 16th, 5-7 p.m. at The Catholic Multi-Cultural Center,
1862 Beld Street, Madison, along with a May date to be determined at the Warner Park Community Center. For more
information, please contact Colleen Clark-Bernhardt, Dane County Office of Equal Opportunity, (608) 266-3022 or clark.
colleen@co.dane.wi.us.
diverse residents of Dane County echo its geography. Not one section more beautiful or extraordinary than the other—
just different, but with common values.
Our community is facing a challenging issue that hurts our county and, in fact, the entire State of Wisconsin.
Racial disparities in the criminal justice system in our state have been among the highest in the nation and our county
has unfortunately been among the top in the state. This is not an achievement to be proud of; rather, it is a stigma on
our community.
What can each of us do to change the disparities? I encourage an open dialogue with friends and colleagues,
along with those who share a completely different viewpoint. It is in these discussions and open conversations that we
learn, understand and ultimately remedy these disparities.
I and County Board Chair Scott McDonell created a Task Force made up of talented individuals from all areas of
the criminal justice system: from community based organizations, law enforcement, corrections and the courts. We
asked them to review the recommendations offered by the Governor’s Commission on Reducing Racial Disparities and to
investigate how we can implement changes on the local level. Your voice is critical to helping the Task Force do a
great job. Public hearings are scheduled in March, April and May to discuss criminal justice issues in an open format.
This task force is charged with looking at the criminal justice system from all angles to ensure no innate bias occurs. That
indeed all are treated equally, that the color of one’s skin or width of one’s wallet is not the determining factor in
policing, charging and sentencing. I am hopeful the task force can make recommendations that change any internal
paradigms that adhere to discrimination.
As our community grows and changes, we have a great opportunity to learn from each other. The old time Dane
County residents — those whose families farmed and helped developed our cities, towns, and villages — can learn from
the fresh perspective of newer residents, and vice versa. If we are willing to talk to each other, share with each other, and
ultimately learn from each other, our ability to solve the issue of racial disparity will lead to a stronger population base, a
stronger commitment to justice, and a stronger community for everyone.
The first public hearing will be held on March 16th from 5-7 pm at the Sun Prairie Library, 1350 Linnerud Street,
Sun Prairie, WI. Subsequent public hearings are scheduled for April 16th, 5-7 p.m. at The Catholic Multi-Cultural Center,
1862 Beld Street, Madison, along with a May date to be determined at the Warner Park Community Center. For more
information, please contact Colleen Clark-Bernhardt, Dane County Office of Equal Opportunity, (608) 266-3022 or clark.
colleen@co.dane.wi.us.
Dane County Executive Kathleen
Falk
Falk