Dear Madison,
This November, we will have an opportunity to transform our nation, state, community and world for the betterment of our children. The existential threat to our national democracy is well-known and documented. Make no mistake, we have to vote to provide our children an example of moral leadership at the national level.
However, we also have direct transformational opportunities for Madison. The two MMSD referendum questions on your ballot can transform the learning environment and opportunities for students in Madison for generations to come. We cannot afford to linger in this moment. This is not the time to stand still. We must change the future now.
Your fall ballot includes two referendum questions that will shape the future of the Madison Metropolitan School District. We are voting yes on both questions to invest in the full potential of public education, and you should, too.
We are young Black people who want a better world for ourselves and each other, knowing it starts with education. We are voting yes on the MMSD Future Ready 2020 referenda to give our schools the operating funds they need to strategically invest in equity. We are voting yes to the newest elementary school in Madison being designed with, and for, the Rimrock neighborhood, which is made up predominantly of Black and Brown families. We are enthusiastically championing $70 million of investments in each of our four comprehensive high school buildings because we know how desperately this work is needed.
The COVID pandemic is not the first crisis our country has faced, nor will it be the last. Our community has overcome crises in the past with bold action and we will do the same in our time. The MMSD Future Ready facilities and operating referenda will result in countless jobs and opportunities for years to come, allowing recovery from the economic consequences of this pandemic while simultaneously strengthening our schools.
This is our chance for our community to live up to our progressive ideals and demonstrate our commitment to equity. Frankly, we’ve got a long way to go, and the only way we get there is together. We need everyone to vote yes for Madison’s public schools—early, curbside, absentee or in-person—by November 3.
[The signatories of this letter, listed below, are expressing their personal support and do not represent their employer or any institution.]
Prenicia Clifton
Nari Rowe
Najjah Thompson
Sami Schalk
Rosa Thompson
Alex Thompson
Megan Berry
Davette Baker
Angela Russell
Keena Atkinson
Ethan Jackson
Maxine McKinney De Royston
Chris Walker
Ebrahim “Speedy” Amara
Marcus Robert Johnson
Matthew Braunginn
Maia Pearson
Willie Glenn III
Aavante Clay
Teeanna Brisco
Kanesha Freiberg
Will Green
Rob Dz
Brandi Grayson
Jaylen Plummer
Linda Vakunta
George Reistad
Patrice Hutchins
Kierre Greene
Joshua Wright
Nada Elmikashfi
Alexis Dean
April Kigeya
Hedi Lamar Rudd
Noah Anderson
Anthony Gray
Sabrina Madison
Adam Barr
Kenneth Cole
Chauncey Haste
