Good morning, Whitewater

The are no public meetings scheduled from the City of Whitewater today.

There is, however, a scheduled Listening Session with Representative Tammy Baldwin, scheduled from 3-4 p.m. today, at the Irvin Young Memorial Library, on Center Street.

In Wisconsin history on this date, the Wisconsin Historical Society reports that on this date in 1997, “sixty festival attendees were arrested at the 8th annual Weedstock Festival, a pro-marijuana event in Ferryville. [Source: Timeline Wisconsin].” When they called it Weedstock…

In our schools today, there’s a plan that concerned parents and community members have proposed, following racist graffiti found at Whitewater High School. Here’s the undertaking, in the words of those who developed the proposal, from two messages that I have received, as sent to the press, and at least one blogger:

Greetings.

On Tuesday, May 26, various student organizations will be gathering with community members to make buttons proclaiming, “STOP THE HATE.” This effort is a response to the racist threat that occurred last week at Whitewater High School.

-A student reported the racist and threatening message on the stall door of a boys’ bathroom in the science wing of the high school on Thursday, May 14, around 2:30 p.m.

-Six African-American students were identified in the threat.

A few Whitewater professors and I met with the Administration at Whitewater High School and asked if we could do something proactive to help the student body feel “empowered” through this sad and scary time. We saw this incident as one that the community also needed to act on, not just the school. We found the administration to be very open, supportive, and concerned. They were willing to do all they could to facilitate our efforts.

The professors and I had the idea to make buttons with the students. The message was shared with the student organizations and they jumped on it. The kids are enthused and much more hopeful about letting the community know that there is a STOP THE HATE message coming from THEIR school and they are not a school that tolerates hate and racism.

Please come out to Whitewater High School on Tuesday…any time from 9-3 and see the students in action. The students need the positive publicity; they need to see that their voice of peace is more powerful than the racist/fearful ones….

You are aware that there is going to be a Stop the Hate button campaign at Whitewater High School. The parents who initiated the conversation about what should happen at the high school wanted to be clear that the students themselves are making and distributing the buttons. We also wanted to be clear that the feelings and safety of the threatened families and other African American families in Whitewater is the number one priority.

Thank you.

Good morning, Whitewater

The holiday weekend begins, and there’s lots of posting ahead over the next few days — on local press coverage, the Police and Fire Commission, our local economy, and charitable and civic press releases to publish.

To set the right mood for the writing ahead, I offer two clips that encourage a positive outlook while working. I’ve posted the second before, and it’s a clever homage to the first.

Enjoy.

Good morning, Whitewater

There’s a
Common Council meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. The agenda is available online. (It’s a pdf but not a useful, searchable text pdf like other City of Whitewater agendas.)

On this date in 1934, the Wisconsin Historical Society recalls the anniversary of a step toward bigger government, intrusion in commercial and private life, and less individual choice —
“Wisconsin Progressive Party Formally Organized” —

On this date Wisconsin’s Progressive Party was formally organized near 30 E. 2nd St. in Fond du Lac. It had begun as a “progressive” movement within the Wisconsin Republican Party more than 30 years before, and under leaders such as Robert M. LaFollette its list of achievements brought national attention to Wisconsin.

By the 1930s, a new generation of policy makers, many of whom had been trained under progressive Republicans, were advocating for reforms as part of Democrat Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs (see our page on the Wisconsin roots of Social Security for an example). At the same time, a new generation of Republicans such as Walter Kohler were advocating their own solutions to the nation’s problems. The heirs of the LaFollette tradition organized a third party, the Wisconsin Progressive Party, to keep alive the traditions they valued.

[Source: History Just Ahead: A Guide to Wisconsin’s Historical Markers, edited by Sarah Davis McBride]

From our elementary schools today, there’s a choir concert in the high school auditorium at 1:30 p.m. and again at 7 p.m.

Good morning, Whitewater

There are no public meetings scheduled in the City of Whitewater today, but there will be a Common Council meeting tomorrow, and a Police and [sic] Fire Commission meeting on Wednesday.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls a student protest in Milwaukee on this date in 1964:

On this date, the 10th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, students from Milwaukee schools participated in the first boycott of the city’s public schools, a critical moment in civil rights and desegregation movements in Wisconsin.

Two months earlier, in March 1964, the NAACP, CORE, and other civil rights organizations formed MUSIC — the Milwaukee United School Integration Committee. Its purpose was to implement mass action to highlight the issue of educational inequality. For two years, sit-ins, picketing, prayer vigils, marches, and boycotts had raised public awareness about segregation but failed to move the school board to action.

In December of 1965, Wisconsin civil rights activist and attorney Lloyd Barbee filed a formal desegregation suit in federal court on behalf of 41 black and white children, eventually decided in their favor in 1976. [Source: Rethinking Schools].

In our schools, there will be a Whitewater Middle School choir concert at the high school tonight at 7 p.m.

Good morning, Whitewater

The City of Whitewater has one public meeting scheduled for today. At 3:00 p.m., there will be a Police Day ceremony at the municipal building.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, on this date in 1911, the City of Janesville sought to ban — wait for it — fortune tellers:

On this date the Janesville City Council proposed ordinances banning fortune-tellers and prohibiting breweries from operating bars in the city. For more on Wisconsin brewing history, see the “Brewing and Prohibition” page at Turning Points in Wisconsin History. [Source: Janesville Gazette].

Good morning, Whitewater

The City of Whitewater’s Planning Commission meeting will take place tonight, beginning at 6 p.m., at the municipal building. The meeting agenda is available online.

There will be a Whitewater Middle School Band Concert, held at the High School Auditorium, tonight at 7 p.m.