Dear YGB Community,

As we continue to develop our three key areas of focus - Understanding Black Needs, Building Analysis, and Advocacy - we need our people to continue to build community by attending the events below.

No Cops In Schools Rally

Tuesday, April 4, 4pm - Kohl Center (601 Dayton St)

We know from a recent report that although Black students make up 19% of Madison schools, 84% of arrests by MMSD-paid cops in/near high schools involve Black people. This Tuesday, Freedom Inc. will change that by gathering to get police out of schools! More info here.

ResourceFULL Black Businesses

Thursday, April 27th, 5pm - The Atrium Community Room (2300 S. Park St. )

In order to build community power, we MUST build our collective resources and thereby, build our ability to self determine. The Madison Alliance for Black Economic Empowerment (MABEE) has partnered with the Small Business Administration, and the Black Chamber of Commerce, to bring us an event that will connect Black businesses to resources, to each other, and grant up to $10,000! Help us build a thriving HIVE community, by supporting MABEE and attending the event. More info here.

More Events

JFC Budget Hearing

Monday, April 3, 10am-5pm - 30 S Hickory St in Platteville

This Monday, a budget meeting will be held to determine where the state of Wisconsin’s funding will be allocated. Attend the meeting to speak out in favor of divesting from cops and jails and investing in schools, anti-poverty measures, and people of color led community development instead. More info here.

Resisting Imperialism: Free Palestine and End the Wars!

Wednesday, April 5, 7pm - Ingraham Hall (1155 Observatory Dr.)

Every year, billions of American dollars are funneled into the Israeli and Saudi militaries, which have killed thousands of innocent people, and maintaining 800 American military bases on foreign soil. Instead of imperialism, this money should be invested in jobs and anti-poverty measures for the people. On April 5, the ISO will discuss these issues with Boston organizer Khury Petersen-Smith. More info here.

36th Annual Conference of the Labor History Society

Saturday, April 8, 8:30am-3pm - Madison Labor Temple (1602 S Park St)

Join unionists, scholars, activists, and a variety of organizations and historians to discuss future efforts for worker’s rights. Register here.

Screening of “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes”

Saturday, April 8, 1pm - Farley Center (2299 Rose Rd, Verona)

"Walk A Mile In Their Shoes” is a powerful documentary that shows the stories of five marginalized individuals in hopes of dispelling stereotypes. It will be screened next Saturday in Verona. More info here.

“Behind the Walls”: A First Wave Performance

Saturday, April 8, 4:30pm - First Unitarian Society (900 University Bay Dr.)

On Saturday, April 8, the spoken word group First Wave will perform “Behind the Walls,” a powerful experience of hip hop, poetry, and urban arts. More info here.

Charlene Carruthers: Movement Building for Queer Liberation

Wednesday, April 12, 7pm - Elvehjem Building (800 University Av.)

Charlene Carruthers is a Black, queer/lesbian, feminist community organizer who has been working for Black, youth, and women’s empowerment for over a decade. On April 12, join Carruthers at the Elvehjem Building. More info here.

May Day Rally Organizing Meeting

Saturday, April 15, 10am - Union de Trabajadores Inmigrantes (1310 Mendota St, #115E)

For all community organizations who want to organize at the May Day Rally, come to the May Day Rally Organizing Meeting on April 15. More info here.

Madison Climate March

Saturday, April 22, 2pm - Capitol Building (2 E Main St)

Trump has already begun to roll back the few environmental regulations instituted under the Obama Administration, and our climate is in severe danger. On April 22, we will march to protect our air, land, and water. More info here.

Support YGB when you purchase Beloved.

Beloved by Toni Morrison is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1988. The book follows the life of Sethe, who grew up on a slave plantation in Kentucky and escaped, only to be discovered by her former owners. Under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1860, slave owners were allowed to track down their slaves across state borders, and Sethe, fearing for the life of her children, was forced to kill her unnamed daughter. The book then follows Sethe’s life years later, where she is haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter. The novel delves into the issues family relationships and the psychological impact of slavery in a beautifully artistic way.

Support YGB when you purchase Beloved with the Amazon link below.

If you would like to see our entire list of book recommendations, please click here.

Support YGB when you purchase They Came Before Columbus.

They Came Before Columbus by Ivan van Sertima describes the supposed presence and legacy of Africans in ancient America. The book uses many details and builds evidence to claim that Africans were present in the New World prior to Columbus’ arrival. This book is one of the most compelling claims to “Pre-Columbian Trans-Oceanic Contact Theories.”

Support YGB when you purchase They Came Before Columbus with the Amazon link below.

If you would like to see our entire list of book recommendations, please click here.

Behind the polite personality of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch lies a troubling record in race relations.

Gorsuch has been repeatedly called “the next Scalia,” which is troubling in itself. The late Justice Scalia was ultra-conservative and opposed policies such as Affirmative Action and allowing the City of Richmond to direct contracts specifically to entrepreneurs of color. If Gorsuch continues this legacy of failing to give an economic advantage to those who have been historically disenfranchised - people of color - our racial disparity epidemic will inevitably persist.

Gorsuch, while a student at Columbia University, criticized anti-apartheid protesters in South Africa. Gorsuch also vocalized support for gentrification, limited voting rights, and right wing Nicaraguan Contras. One of Gorsuch’s most infamous rulings was in 2009, when he was the only judge to rule against Alphonse Maddin, a Black truck driver who had to abandon his truck due to nearly dying from hypothermia in -27 degree temperatures.

With such a passion for regressive policies that favor corporations over human rights, it’s clear that Neil Gorsuch does not have our best interests at heart. And we are here to change that. Please help us build power by donating here. For more information on Neil Gorsuch, please click here.