Angela's Journey and Why Race Matters in Wisconsin

The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.

Angela Fitzgerald: Hi, I’m Angela Fitzgerald. Join me for PBS Wisconsin’s new podcast and digital series Why Race Matters. A series of conversations that centers around race.

Tatiyana Benson: I don’t know if Black people know what justice look like in general. Have we ever really gotten it? So, I couldn’t tell you what a just world looks like or feels like. I just know that this isn’t it.

Angela: I mean that’s a perfect answer. Because you’re right we maybe are upholding an ideal that we don’t even, we’ve never seen modeled.

Tatiyana Benson: Yeah.

Angela: So how do you aspire to something that you don’t even know what that looks like?

Tatiyana Benson: Yeah.

Angela: So, wow.

Certain spaces in Wisconsin are often credited as some of the most livable cities. But for whom exactly?

A 2019 report from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy showed that Wisconsin ranks near the bottom nationally on a number of racial disparities, including worst for unemployment, second worst for out of school suspension and incarceration, third worst for voter participation, and fourth worst for infant mortality.

Myra McNair: Culturally we are one of two things, we’re believing totally what the doctor is saying because they’re the doctors. Right?

Angela: They are the experts, they’ve gone to school for all these years.

Myra McNair: They’re the experts. And, or were fearful because of what we have experienced throughout our culture with doctors and how we’re being treated.

Angela: After the death of George Floyd in 2020 and the increased media attention around racial justice, I felt a responsibility to use my connections in public broadcasting to highlight some of these issues in Wisconsin. 

Myra McNair: After the murder of George Floyd, right, he said, “I can’t breathe.”  We’ve heard countless Black men say “I can’t breathe.” And I always explained with COVID and then with all of the racial unrest, we can’t breathe as a community

Angela: Over the course of this season I’ll talk with Black people living in Wisconsin explore what matters to us and the issues we’ve faced living in this state.

Rudy Bankston: People would prefer a familiar slavery than an unfamiliar freedom because it’s what their…

Angela: They know.

Rudy Bankston: You know what I mean. Even though it’s dysfunctional as hell.

Angela: Topics include Black mental health, civic engagement, farming, financial assistance, and art exploitation and much more.

Papa-Kobina Brewoo: It becomes cultural appropriation, that’s what it becomes. You’re appropriating a culture and not giving credit due and you’re skewing the idea of what this dancing culture is.

Angela: We’ll ask questions but more importantly we’ll pay attention so please subscribe as we look to recognize Why Race Matters in our state.

Announcer: Funding for Why Race Matters is provided by CUNA Mutual Group, Park Bank, Alliant Energy, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.