Zippity doo dah
Re: “Placemaking pitfalls” (7/3/2019): This is a fabulous idea! Not just for summer but the entire year! Can you imagine Badgers football weekends or state basketball/wrestling tourney weeks? Great idea from Ms. Hughes, as always.
— Annie Geoghegan, via isthmus.com
Reading the recent article was how I learned that Downtown Madison Inc. had sought RFPs to improve the State and Mifflin street area. My idea is to show either slides or a movie about Wisconsin or Madison’s history after dark on the side of the historical museum or some other building there. I went to a similar event while in San Antonio a few years ago. Perhaps people who arrived early could take part in a trivia contest with questions that would vary from military history to social or cultural history. Keep it free at first, to motivate people to buy snacks from food carts. I’m not asking for money for this rough idea, but a donation would be “appreciated.”
— Rosemary Sprenger, via email
Magnificent women
Re: “Speaking out” (6/27/2019): Just a minor grumble. The story might have noted that for many decades what is now known as Wisconsin Public Radio did actually feature several magnificent women voices; for example, Jay Meredith Fitts, Carol Cowan, Jean Feraca, and Vickie Nunn.
— Michael Hanson, via email
No citations?
Re: “Lead by example” (7/3/2019): God grant me the indescribable arrogance of a middle-aged white man who feels he has the right — nay, the civic responsibility — to lecture young black children on the “fact” that racism in Madison schools does not exist. A teacher would ask for citations for such a thesis, yet Cummins provides none. Maybe it’s time for Cummins, and all white people, to “sit and listen” (as he asks black students to do) when people of color speak out about their lived experiences of racism.
— Bridget Sharkey, via email
Teaching victimhood
Re: Feedback (5/30/2019): Madison’s Educators Actively Working Toward Anti-Racism are ironically doing a disservice to Madison’s schoolchildren of color. Ignoring abusive, threatening, and violent behavior from students while telling them all actions are justified and there are no consequences for their behavior because of white supremacy and racism falsely teaches them that they do not need to take responsibility for their actions, and that any perceived offense against them is simply due to racism. This coaches them to be victims, not responsible adults. As an adult, one can go to jail for violent and threatening behavior, and our educational system is precisely where good behavior needs to be modeled, and bad behavior must be discouraged for the children’s own sake now, as well as later in life.
Even worse, this disempowers the children further by ignoring the root causes of such behavior, which allows it to continue unchecked.
Yes, racism is a problem, but incorrectly placing it as the epicenter of all attitudes and actions teaches victimization and irresponsibility, not empowerment and self-determination.
— David Hammond, via email