Paul Fanlund: Listen more than you talk, and other advice on racial justice – Madison.com

Maybe part of it has to do with where we start. Whites drawn to Madison are often among the most highly educated attracted to our world-class university or the regions burgeoning technology sector.

Some people of color who come here dont start with the same privileges and thats also true for their children at school, but generalizations are perilous and theres much more to the achievement gap story than that. Well-educated people of color often report that their children dont get the same treatment at school here that white children do.

Many do, but not all Madisonians care much about delving deeper into racial justice.

I noticed after Black Lives Matter protests here last year an unrelenting buzz about the property damage on State Street and the suggestion that there were lawless hordes downtown. Madison police, criticized by some Black leaders as racially insensitive, are criticized by others as overly conciliatory.

Racial animus was stoked by Donald Trump, and some subset of Madison buys into that. They probably like the law-and-order message and would be less likely just as U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said he was to fear the predominately white crowd at the U.S. Capitol insurrection than Black Lives Matter activists. Yes, Madison is generally liberal, but I have been surprised at how prominent that vibe has been.

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Paul Fanlund: Listen more than you talk, and other advice on racial justice - Madison.com