News & Commentary

We sued the City of Milwaukee to demand unbiased and constitutional policing by the Milwaukee Police Department. According to a recent report, we see that Black and Latinx Milwaukeeans continue to be stopped and frisked at alarming, worsening rates.

An attempt to censor discussions about race and gender in the classroom is underway in Wisconsin. This past week, the State Assembly passed a bill that would ban educators from teaching about gender and race discrimination in K-12 public schools. The bill still must be passed by the State Senate and signed by the Governor to become law. The Wisconsin lawmakers that support the bill are attempting to use the bill to bar educators from teaching critical race theory, an academic concept and practice that recognizes systemic racism is deeply ingrained in American society, and related concepts like white privilege and racial equity in schools. This bill doesn’t just set back progress in addressing systemic issues. It also robs young people of inclusive education and blatantly suppresses speech about race. 

Those who took part in the rampage at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 attacked more than a building that belongs to us all. They attacked an ideal that belongs to us all: government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

As one of the most difficult years in American history comes to a close, we want to take a moment to extend our most sincere thanks to all of you for sticking with us and remaining committed to the fight for justice and equality in Wisconsin. 

MILWAUKEE - The ACLU of Wisconsin today announced that former Wisconsin public school teacher turned attorney Elisabeth Lambert has joined its staff as an Equal Justice Work Fellow. The fellowship lasts for the next two years.

By: Somil Trivedi, Senior Staff Attorney of ACLU

As the Democratic National Convention concludes, the nation’s focus came to not only the City of Milwaukee, but also Wisconsin, a place where racial segregation, economic inequality and police brutality against people of color has long since been a problem.

As the Democratic National Convention thrusts Milwaukee onto the national stage, America’s reckoning with police violence and racial injustice will be brought to bear on a city marked by profound racial inequality and oppression. During a time in which Americans are being forced to confront how centuries of white supremacy has shaped virtually every aspect of our lives, there may be no better case study for the present-day impact of systemic racism than the City of Milwaukee. 

The Chippewa Valley ACLU Chapter supports educational freedom in controversy over book and in-class discussion of Islam. There is a public forum discussing this issue at 7:00pm at Menomonie High School, on Monday, May 15, 2017.