In October of 2013, Kids Forward (then the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families) released the Race to Equity Report documenting dramatic disparities in well-being between African Americans and whites in Dane County and across the state of Wisconsin. It was neither the first report of its kind, nor the last, to attempt to draw attention to the persistent racial inequities, injustice, and lack of opportunities that existed for communities of color across the state. Although some communities have been striving to address these inequities over the past eight years, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated racial disparities in Wisconsin, and has illuminated just how wide a gap we have to bridge.

On January 26, 2021, President Biden called on everyone to come together through our shared values and confront systemic racism and white supremacy. Undoubtedly, this last year has made crystal clear the ever-present danger and corrosive effect on our nation of un-addressed structural racism and an unchecked resurgence of white supremacist ideology. The time has certainly come to combat racial injustice and inequities in our work, systems, institutions, and policies. Moreover, as the President noted, this renewed commitment must also address the systemic inequities that oppress and marginalize the LGBTQ community, those with disabilities, religious minorities, the rural and urban poor, and Native American nations.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that our continued failure to level the playing field for communities of color and other groups is not only unconscionable, it also presents an existential threat to the nation’s future. To do our part in confronting this threat, Wisconsinites need to begin by acknowledging that all the causes and consequences of America’s racism and marginalization are abundantly evident in communities throughout our state. The national measures of inequality and injustice are fully mirrored in Wisconsin’s deep and persisting racial disparities in employment, income, housing, wealth, academic achievement, arrests, incarceration, and health outcomes. Here are some recent examples:

• African American residents of Wisconsin earn less than half the typical annual income of white residents at around $31,000, leaving many African American children across the state living in high poverty neighborhoods.
• Home ownership for African Americans and Latinx households in Wisconsin is below the national average, impacting housing stability and economic security.
•  In Wisconsin, 1 in 10 African American residents and about 1 in 11 Native American residents were out of work prior to the pandemic. Unemployment was three times higher among African American and Native American residents than it was among white residents.
• Between Nov 25 – Dec 21, 2020, only about two thirds of all Wisconsin households with children reported having worked in the prior week, and less than half of Latinx households with children reported having worked in the prior week. This is a telling sign that there could be a profound and lasting impact on these families as a consequence of COVID-19.
• Death rates among African American, Native American, and Latinx Wisconsinites were at least twice as high compared to death rates among whites when adjusted for age, yet another tragic indicator of the pandemic’s impact. Deaths from COVID-19 have fluctuated across populations and geographies over the past year, creating spikes in deaths among whites as well.
• In Wisconsin, in the time between January 6 – 21st 2021, about one in ten households with children reported that they don’t have enough food to eat.
• In 2019, prior to the pandemic, African American residents were incarcerated in Wisconsin state prisons at a rate five and a half times higher than their share of the state’s population. The percentage of Native Americans incarcerated in state prisons was six times higher than their share of the state’s population.

As the state moves into budgetary conversations, the drafting of legislation and framing of core social and economic policies, we need to put front and center the stark disparity data, as well as the testimony of those most impacted. Current efforts by the Evers’ Administration demonstrate a commitment to the examination of the systems that perpetuate racial and economic inequity, as seen by initiatives like CORE (Conversations on Racial Equity), work on climate change and environmental justice, the task force for a Just Recovery and the Speakers’ Racial Disparity Task Force.

Like President Biden’s encouraging commitment to making real change, Kids Forward will stand up for a strong state policy agenda that puts people first and attacks racial inequity head on. We will continue to advocate for criminal justice and youth justice reform. We will continue to advocate for policies that don’t just seek to return to a pre-pandemic status quo, but to truly create a new future for Wisconsin — one characterized by a more inclusive economy, strong public schools everywhere, quality accessible child care, comprehensive health coverage, and support for policies that embrace our diversity. And we will not work alone or in a silo. Following the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s guidance, we will seek out “creative and constructive coalitions… to solve difficult problems.”

The time for denial is over; the time for determined action is now. Let’s get creative and constructive together! Follow our policy analysis, research, and advocacy efforts at https://kidsforward.org/ to learn how you can be a part of this change. We look forward to working with you in the coming year to build a new Wisconsin that works for every child, every family, and every community.