2021 Assembly Bill 414: Legislation attacking anti-racism and anti-sexism training for government employees

Reaching out today on behalf of Mr. Davis, Department of Civil Rights Director regarding assembly bill 414. Please share and write to the committee chair in opposition of this bill.

"Good afternoon,

Please see Mayor Rhodes-Conway's blog post on this topic:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/blog/2021-assembly-bill-414-legislation-attacking-anti-racism-and-anti-sexism-training-for

I have also attached the public notice to the hearing set to occur at 10am tomorrow, Wednesday, August 11th. Whether you are planning to participate in person or submit your testimony (you can email testimony / comments directly to the chair: Rep.Knodl@legis.wi.gov and this will be sent to all members of the committee), here are some narratives and counter narratives developed by Race Forward for their "Guide: Counter-Narrating the Attacks on Critical Race Theory."

FALSE narratives underlying this attack: Note: The City of Madison disagrees with the false narratives perpetuated by this proposed bill. They are listed here only to demonstrate that the talking points behind this political effort are untrue and harmful:

Systemic racism does not exist
Talking about race is inherently divisive
We should take a colorblind approach to teaching history
Lack of hard work and personal responsibility is the primary driver of racial inequities
White people will be victims in conversations when we talk about race or systemic racism (i.e zero-sum game)

Counter-narratives. The City of Madison supports these important points to counter the false narratives presented by the proponents of this bill:

We all deserve an honest education about race in our country
Systemic racism is real
Learning about the history of race and how it informs our present helps us all become wiser and stronger
Policymakers are using a misrepresentation of critical race theory to rob us all of our collective history and the knowledge to solve our biggest social challenges
Addressing the harmful impact of systemic racism will benefit us all
Systemic racism describes how laws and institutions (e.g., schools, hospitals, workplaces, etc.) have discriminated against people of color, whether intentionally or not
Systemic racism explains the differences in opportunities and outcomes across race
Systemic racism primarily hurts Black people, Indigenous people, Latinx people, and Asian American, and Pacific Islander people

Also, your organization may choose to register in opposition through Eye on Lobbying. A number of organizations are already listed:

https://lobbying.wi.gov/What/BillInformation/2021REG/Information/19244

Thank you,

Norman D. Davis, ECMCA
Director
Department of Civil Rights

City of Madison
Email: ndavis@cityofmadison.com
Website: http://www.cityofmadison.com/civilrights"