REFLECTIONS/Jonathan Gramling
How Far We’ve Come
One of the advantages of becoming an elder and having lived a lifetime of social activism is you get to see your community evolve. Yes, you get your aches and pains and lose so many people you have cherished over the years. But you also get to see children literally grow up to become community leaders.
The groundbreaking for the Center for Black Excellence and Culture on Juneteenth was a perfect time to take it all in as the start of construction began with a host of public and private representatives — as well as a fair representation of the Black community — in attendance.
As I look at the photos of the gathering, it is truly impressive how many people of color are now leading important Madison institutions. Back in the day even 20 years ago, there may have been a Madison alder of color and a county board supervisor of color and “the one” Madison school board member of color. All of the private organizations -- perhaps with the
exception of an Erroll Davis who was a pioneering CEO at Alliant Energy — were led by Euro-Americans.
But my how things have changed — at least at the top. At the groundbreaking, there was Dr. Jack Daniels III, the president of Madison College, Angela Russell, president of the TruStage Foundation. There was State Representative Shelia Stubbs and Madison School Board member Maia Pearson. There was Interim Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn. There was Madison Alder Nikki Conklin. There was ABA President-Elect Michelle Behnke. There was UW-Madison African American Studies Department Chair Christy Clark-Pujara. There was Ray Allen, CEO of Columbia Savings & Loan in Milwaukee. There was Frances Huntley-Cooper, the first Black elected mayor in Wisconsin’s history.
I am sure that there are others who were present that I have neglected to mention and I am sure that I will hear about it later. But there have been so many people who have risen through the ranks, who have paid their dues, and are now siting at the table in various capacities. It is truly a blessing to be able to witness this evolution in history.
And the change also extends to the number of organizations of color that own property in South Madison. There are the Urban League of Greater Madison, Centro Hispano, Fountain of Life and Nehemiah and Mt. Zion Baptist Church along with the YWCA of Madison and Omega School that are led by people of color.
When I was the chair of the South Madison Community Development Corporation back in the 1980s, I was present at a community function when “the Mayor of S. Park Street,” an old white businessman bragged about how they had prevented Black businesses from owning or leasing land on S. Park Street back in the 1960s when Blacks and Black businesses were moving to South Madison from the Triangle-Bush area that was undergoing urban renewal. I couldn’t believe my ears. But it sure explained why Purlie’s Cafe South, by my recollection, was the first Black business on S. Park Street in the late 1970s I believe.
In spite of the opposition and with support from the public sector, that is now an ugly relic of the past.
However, while much progress has occurred, incidents like what happened to Baraboo School Superintendent Rainey Briggs remind us that we have such a long ways to go. Disparities in births, maternal health, home ownership, education, income and employment, just to name a few, are still facing most African Americans and other people of color in this community and nation. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
However, we do need to celebrate at times and recognize the progress while not forgetting the work that lies ahead.
Keep hope alive!