Racial Justice

Constitutional rights to equal protection mean that everyone should be free from discrimination. The ACLU works to preserve and extend the constitutional rights of people of color. Committed to combating racism in all its forms, our advocacy includes litigation, community organizing and training, legislative initiatives, and public education.

Racial Profiling Law Could Have Helped Cops End Biased Policing
Wednesday June 22, 2011
Today Governor Walker signed a bill repealing a law that took effect January 1, 2011 that gave Wisconsin law enforcement managers a new tool to identify biased policing during traffic stops. The new law set up a system to collect traffic stop data and have the Office of Justice Assistance analyze it to determine if minority motorists were being stopped or searched disproportionately compared to non-minority motorists. In response to the repeal of the traffic stop data collection law, the ACLU of Wisconsin will begin an effort to collect the stories from individuals who have experienced biased policing. Read more…
Press Release: 6/22/2011 – Racial Profiling Law Could Have Helped Cops End Biased Policing

Environmental Justice Groups Object to WisDOT’s Discriminatory Failure to Include Transit in Zoo Interchange Plans
Tuesday April 05, 2011
The ACLU of Wisconsin joined other environmental justice groups like the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin and Midwest Environmental Advocates in opposing the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s plan to continue to expand highway access via the Zoo Interchange while cutting transit spending. As recipients of federal funding, the state cannot have programs that have a discriminatory effect. The WisDOT’s transportation funding and policy decisions are leading toward more roads for car owners and fewer transportation options for people who depend on public transportation. Read more…
Press Release: 4/5/2011 - Environmental Justice Groups Object to WisDOT’s Discriminatory Failure to Include Transit in Zoo Interchange Plans
Comments: 4/4/2011 – Comments to William Mohr, Mega Project Manager, WI DOT SE Transportation Region, Waukesha

Voter ID Law Would Disenfranchise Citizens, Not Fix Illegal Votes
Wednesday January 26, 2011
The new session of the Wisconsin Legislature has barely begun and legislators are pushing a bill that will require all voters to present a government-issued photo ID every time they go to the polls. The bill (Senate Bill 6 - PDF) will be heard by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections Jan. 26. The ACLU has opposed these deeply flawed laws in other states. But the law as proposed in Wisconsin is the worst and most restrictive we've ever seen. To deny potentially thousands of voters the right to freely cast a ballot to fix a non-existent problem is unconscionable in a free society. Read more…
Press release: 1/26/2011 – ACLU of WI Opposes Voter ID Proposal (SB 6): Restrictive Photo ID Requirements for Voting Will Disenfranchisement Eligible Voters, Not Fix Illegal Votes
Testimony: 1/26/2011 – ACLU of WI Strongly Opposes the Passage of Senate Bill 6 Requiring a Photo Identification Card to Cast a Ballot in Wisconsin

Environmental Justice: Reportback from the Milwaukee We Energies Valley Coal Plant Hearing
Thursday November 4, 2010
The ACLU of Wisconsin joined over 100 community members and organizations at a hearing held by the state Department of Natural Resources regarding the We Energies Valley Coal Plant in Milwaukee. The coal plant needs a renewal of an air quality control permit but the ACLU of Wisconsin opposed the renewal and said that it would be a violation of civil rights and environmental laws. While upgrades in suburban energy facilities have greatly reduced air pollution, the Valley Coal Plant in the high-density, urban Milwaukee area continues to pollute the air and impact the public health of mostly African-American and Latino neighborhoods. People attended the hearing to say that everyone has an equal right to breathe clean air, not just those who live in predominantly white neighborhoods. Read more…
Press release: 11/09/2010 – Advocates Object to Proposed Air Pollution Permit for We Energies’ Menomonee Valley Power Plant
Comments: 11/08/2010 – Air Pollution Operation Permit Revision No. 241007800-P20
Talking points: 11/08/2010 – Bringing Safer, Cleaner Energy to Milwaukee

Energy Facilities in Milwaukee Need to Consider Minority and Low-Income Community Impact in Planning Decisions
Wednesday August 11, 2010
On Monday, the ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation's legal department joined the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin and the Midwest Environmental Advocates to request that the Wisconsin Public Service Commission address the disproportionate adverse impacts of electric generating facilities on minority and low-income communities in Milwaukee. The organizations seek to ensure that the PSC address these environmental justice issues in deciding whether to retire, "mothball," or upgrade existing electric generating units. Read more…
Press Release: 8/11/2010 – Advocates Request Wisconsin Public Service Commission to Address Environmental Justice Impacts of Power Plants (PDF)
Document: Comments of American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation, Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, Inc., and Midwest Environmental Advocates (PDF)

ACLU of Wisconsin Asks Wisconsin Senate to Vote Favorably on Bill to Limit Race-Based School Team Names and Mascots
Monday March 1, 2010
Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin asked Wisconsin State Senate majority leader, Russell Decker (D-Schofield), to schedule a vote on legislation to address discriminatory race-based school team nicknames, logos and mascots. Last Thursday, the Wisconsin Assembly passed an amended version of such legislation with bipartisan support. Read more…
Press release: 3/1/2010 - ACLU of Wisconsin asks Wisconsin Senate to vote favorably on bill to limit race-based school team names and mascots (PDF)
Letter to Senator Decker: 3/1/2010 – Sen. Decker RE AB 35 (PDF)

For more resources and information on the ACLU’s work on racial justice across the nation, please visit the ACLU’s racial justice webpage.