Why Voting Matters: Consequences for Childcare Funding and Diversity in Education

mediarelease: A Public Issues Forum presented by the Urban League of Greater Madison and the League of Women Voters of Dane County

Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 6:00-7:30 pm, Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S. Park St., or via Zoom Link

Elections at the national, state, and local level have profound impacts on the day-to-day lives of Wisconsin families. In this forum, we will address two issues with growing importance: the crisis in childcare and attacks on diversity in education, including:

● The expiration of the federal Child Care Stabilization Program in January 2024 and proposals to address the loss of those funds

● The current state of childcare availability in Dane County and its importance to working families and employers

● Attempts to censor diversity in teaching and libraries, including the campaign against Critical Race Theory

● Efforts to condition education funding on the elimination of DEI programs

Panelists:

★ Laura Dresser, associate director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), clinical associate professor, UW–Madison School of Social Work

★ Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita, UW–Madison School of Education

Moderator:

★ Joy Cardin, retired Wisconsin Public Radio talk show host, a member of the League of Women Voters of Dane County, and a member of the board of directors of the LWV of Wisconsin.

The League of Women Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national organization whose purpose is to promote informed and active participation in government at all levels. Like government, the League functions on several levels—local, state, regional and national. LWV of Dane County is an affiliate of the state and national Leagues.

The mission of the Urban League of Greater Madison is to ensure that African Americans and other community members are educated, employed and empowered to live well, advance professionally and contribute to the common good in the 21st Century.