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Each week we will search for articles on equity, inclusion and diversity in Wisconsin. These articles are compiled into this newsletter and stored for future reference. We of course include articles about the T1W conference, presenters and presentations.

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Dr. Jeneise Briggs, the Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion (EDI) coordinator for the City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County was recently named among the state’s top 48 most influential Black leaders, according to Madison365, a nonprofit news website.

The sixth annual Black Power list highlights “the beauty of the diversity across our state,” according to Henry Sanders, president and CEO of Madison365. “I want kids here in Wisconsin to see role models of people who are succeeding, to know what’s possible for Black people to achieve great things here.”

The publication highlighted Briggs’ "wealth of career experience creating EDI programs and fostering relationships with underrepresented communities in positions.” Specifically, she has served as senior assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion at Marian University in Fond du Lac, as well as the diversity and inclusion specialist and law school outreach coordinator for the State Bar of Wisconsin. ...
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Editor Notes: Congratulations...

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MILWAUKEE — One Milwaukee non-profit is committed to bringing more diversity into the trades industry.

The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, also known as WRTP Big Step, works to help traditionally underrepresented and underemployed people like women and people of color.

The program has helped many people like 21-year-old Dwayne Sampson. After finishing high school, Sampson knew he wanted to get into the trade industry. He started after graduating and is now in his fourth year of his sheet metal apprenticeship.

He works with Langer Roofing in Milwaukee. He said he was able to kickstart his career at such a young age, thanks to WRTP Big Step...
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Ken Notes: This is huge, many of our diversity gaps are, at the core, skill gaps. Training, mentorship, and apprenticeship must be part of our DEI journey...

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will disband its Partnerships and Equitable Practices (PEP) Team less than two months after it was created following sharp criticism from staff, who say it was installed “haphazardly” with no input from stakeholders or people of color who work at the state agency.

Madison365 exclusively reported in November that officials admitted it was an “error” to simply re-assign Director of Teaching and Learning Director Tamara Mouw to lead the new team and two Black women to staff it, even though none had applied for new jobs.

“We made a decision to favor expediency over an equitable search,” Tom McCarthy, executive director of the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said at the time. “And that is an error, and one that we are working with our staff to examine, be honest about and potentially revisit.”...
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Ken Notes: This is not as bad as the title suggests. But this should serve as a lesson for ALL of us -- the FIRST step in your diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journey should be to communicate with your current employees.

Fox Valley Jan. 18, 2022: Our region`s Hispanic, Black, Asian and Indigenous communities boomed in a decade. Yearlong series debuts with the stories behind the numbers.

Long Vue remembers eggs being splattered over his parents` car after he and his family arrived in Kaukauna in 1980. He recalls the vitriolic shouts from white residents telling them to go back to their homeland.

There was no homeland to return to for Hmong refugees. Vue`s family fled Laos after his father and uncle were active in protecting communication towers used to direct U.S. planes dropping bombs on North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

After 42 years of living in the Fox Valley, he said the eggs returned with renewed fury. Now 54 and executive director of NEW Hmong Professionals, Vue said former President Donald Trump`s repeated use of the term "China virus" for the coronavirus fueled a rise of Asian American and Pacific Islander hate and scapegoating...   ...more

Ken Notes: This is true across the State and we need to work with our communities to embrace the new diversity.

Nationwide, 1 in 3 wants to quit. In Wisconsin, half do.

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Ken Notes: Both of these reports are good to have on file!

Law firm diversity and inclusion were hot topics in the legal industry in 2021. Like other industries, the public had law firms under a microscope for their DEI practices.

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Ken Notes: WOW! A wealth of data from the Bar Association and Microsoft. I wonder if we could get a copy of their instrument?

Jan 14, 2022 - EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - The city and county of Eau Claire`s equity, diversity, and inclusion coordinator was recently named among the state`s top 48 most influential black leaders.

Jeneise Briggs has been the EDI coordinator for Eau Claire since May of 2021— a brand new position created at the beginning of last year.

"What I`m doing right now is putting together the strategic priorities for this year," Briggs said, describing a day in the life as the EDI coordinator.

Before she served as the diversity and inclusion specialist for the State Bar of Wisconsin. But what exactly does an EDI coordinator do?...
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Ken Notes: Good read...

DE PERE – Choua Xiong, who recently completed her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will join St. Norbert College (SNC) beginning in the spring semester as a postdoctoral diversity teaching fellow – the first position of its kind at SNC.

Xiong will teach courses in the teacher-education discipline and first-year seminar program.

She will also work with the Cassandra Voss Center on equity, diversity, inclusion and justice research...
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..."Thinking about the legacy of Dr. King, you have to do a self reflection. Our hope is that through this celebration that each person would take within themselves and examine their own biases and their own characteristics that would cause them to not respect a person with respect and dignity,”

Dr. Corey King, Vice Chancellor for Inclusivity and Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB)....

Wausau Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A look back to look forward

Rockwell Automation Employees Reflect on Martin Luther King Jr. and Share Acts of Service to Honor His Legacy

Read and Hear Martin Luther King Jr.`s `I Have a Dream` speech in its entirety

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On Jan. 25, 2022, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will welcome Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of The 1619 Project, staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, and co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting as the keynote speaker for this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium...   ...more

Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service	Church Mutual Insurance
Wisconsin Development News	Wisconsin Public Radio

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Notes:

On Tuesday, Dec. 21, the Sun Prairie City Council approved a contract with Prism Technical LLC to move forward with an Organizational Equity Audit that will begin this month.

City Communications and Diversity Strategist Jake King said the audit is another significant step the City is taking to honor its commitment of advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for both employees and community members.

The priority areas of the audit will focus on:

• Building a more diverse and inclusive organization for employees and the community in which the city serves;

• Identifying blind spots and processes that perpetuate systemic injustice; and

• Identifying current successes, areas for improvement and recommendations/strategy in next steps for making concrete improvements in the areas of DEI.

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Ken Notes: Interesting... If anyone develops a survey or tool to evaluate DEI in your organization that you can share, we would be happy to publish it and make it available to the Network...

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Boys and Girls Club is a major resource for thousands of parents and children across Wisconsin.

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Madison-based Quartz has been working on various diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts over the past several years. The company named Diego Campoverde its first DE&I Manager in the fall of 2019 and added Olivia Rico-McKeen as DE&I Coordinator in March 2020.

We all know what happened right after that.

As the pandemic struck and a racial justice reckoning followed, Quartz pivoted some DE&I initiatives and accelerated others, and their work earned the company the 2021 Workplace Diversity, Inclusion and Workflex Award from the Wisconsin State Council of the Society of Human Resource Management.

“This means a lot to us,” Campoverde said. “Of course ’ ‘’it’s a great recognition, but also, we really want to show the world the amazing work that Quartz is doing in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”...
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Ken Notes: Great Q&A in this article...

UW Oshkosh Today - Jan 18, 2022 - The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Letters and Science Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Climate (EDIC) committee has named two students as the winners of the I-RISE Awards for the month of December.

The winners are:

• Alejandra Mendoza, a senior nursing major from Verapaz, El Salvador on the Oshkosh campus
  
  

• Zackary Slick, a senior special education major from Appleton who started on the Fox Cities campus and is now in Oshkosh

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Ken Notes: By creating a form of recognition, you can get both your community and local media involved in creating a more inclusive environment.

The Sherman Phoenix Foundation announced today that Dr. Stacia Thompson has been named as the nonprofit’s first executive director. In this role, she will manage daily operations while building community relationships that support economic equity and empowerment, strategic investment and training, entrepreneurial success and emotional wellness for leaders of color.

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Organizers of Toward One Wisconsin Conference (T1W), an annual conference on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), have announced the launch of the T1W Network.

The T1W Network is intended to be a convenor, network builder, and information resource for DEI work. The Network will provide pathways to meaningful connections, encourage people and organizations to move from talk to action, and build a pipeline for DEI leaders and activities in Wisconsin.

In addition to a weekly newsletter featuring DEI news and updates, members have the ability to connect with other professionals, as well as share updates on what they are doing to move the needle on DEI issues in their communities or organizations.

The Toward One Wisconsin Conference began with a mission to foster and sustain a statewide culture that understands that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to the state’s continued excellence. Since the first conference in 2019, T1W has brought together thousands of attendees from diverse backgrounds to have broad ranging conversations around the work of DEI and how to move from talk to action.

“It’s incredibly important that this work doesn’t stop once the conference is over each year,” said T1W organizer, Eric Giordano. “The T1W Network will allow those interested in DEI to stay up to date, engaged, and connected to what others are doing.”

Members are encouraged to submit updates, articles, and stories on the work that they are doing. These articles will then be shared on the T1W Network website and newsletter.

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