Dear Dana,
As the founder of the Progress Center for Black Women and a member of Madison’s Common Council, I just had to take a moment to publicly acknowledge and thank you for stepping up to run for Dane County executive. I don’t know when we first met, but I’ve appreciated your leadership and dedication not only to Black women, but to the larger community overall. I like many others from various backgrounds all saw ourselves represented in your campaign – I mean, gurl, there was over 100,000 of us who proudly turned up for you.
Though the election did not turn out as we all hoped, I want you to know that your unwavering commitment to justice, equity, and the well-being of Black women will never go unnoticed.
In the words of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, “You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” Dana, we never see you sitting on the sidelines. Instead as you so often do, you led with courage, grace, and the audacity to believe in a better future for all of us, especially for Black women who often find ourselves at the intersection of multiple injustices.
Your campaign exemplified a lifetime of service. As the executive director of the RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center, you’ve transformed support services for victims across Dane County. Your leadership on the Dane County Board of Supervisors and your advocacy for affordable housing, violence prevention, and community empowerment have been nothing short of inspirational. You’ve spent over three decades in advocacy, standing firmly against oppression and lifting up voices often unheard.
bell hooks once said, “To be truly visionary, we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.” Dana, your visionary leadership has given many of us more hope, showing us what’s possible when we center our communities, especially in challenging times as we brace for the return of a presidency that has been shown to be harmful to Black women next year. You’ve shown up for Black women in ways that are deeply needed and profoundly meaningful, even as the political landscape grows more hostile.
Dana, you’ve shown us what it means to lead fearlessly, to break barriers, and to create spaces where Black women can flourish. Your voice was, and continues to be, a powerful force for beautiful change.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to justice, for speaking truth to power, and for being the flyest champion for Black women, especially when it matters most. As we navigate the barriers ahead, know that your work has laid a foundation for future progress. You inspire us to keep pushing forward, to keep imagining what’s possible, and more importantly – to “affix our crowns, … and to take the break and rest we (you) need”.
You said people asked you “what is next?” Part of your reply was, “What is next is the work.” I agree with you wholeheartedly and it is because I am in community with women across the country like you, after getting some rest, I will continue to join you in the work.
We love you and thank you.
With gratitude,
Sabrina “Progress” Madison
Founder, Progress Center for Black Women
