a reflective journal about social action from JustDane
Dear Friends,
response to a community need. Among the organizations incubated and spun off by JustDane: WI Faith Voices for Justice, Centro Hispano, Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice (now Worker Justice WI), the Allied Wellness Center, and more. Currently we are the fiscal agent for Allied Partners, the Allied-Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association, Moms on a Mission, Bleed Shamelessly, Urban Dippers, Madison Performance Collective, and Legaci Housing Stability Evaluation Program.
Rev. William Sloane Coffin once said “Charity yes, always, but never as a substitute for justice.” This sentiment is woven through our work at JustDane. Our advocacy work also focuses on Working with individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, we often find public policy, public budgets, equity, inclusion and justice with the community. ourselves side by side with them, Historically our process was to form a supporting their journey home and advocating for them. Just Bakery is our Task Force to study and issue and then work to address those issues. way of creating opportunities for 1977: Task Force on Education employment and career training. We successfully blocked the closing of also work with employers in the schools located in central Madison. community, advocating for more 1982: Organized community opportunities for people who are justice churches to support labor unions involved. when worker rights were under attack. Our Reentry Simulations™ raise 1990: Facilitated the creation of a community awareness on issues related Housing Coalition to focus on fair and to reentry and the systemic injustices in affordable housing and the criminal legal system. For a contract homelessness. with Employ Milwaukee, we conduct 1992: Organized area non-profits and Reentry Simulations in Milwaukee for congregations to demand the targeted audiences of law makers, restoration of human services employers and community members funding that had been cut in the and also facilitate Just Workplace County budget trainings for employers to examine their 1997: Justice Issues Task Force own policies and barriers to resulted in local and statewide opportunities. advocacy for justice system reform and the creation and support for As a fiscal agent or incubator for new reentry services in our community. ideas and projects, we offer capacity 2007: Chance to Work, Chance to building support for grass roots Succeed initiative with the Worker initiatives. Over 30 organizations and Rights Center educated legal system projects have been incubated, each in
impacted individuals on their rights as employees and worked with employers to open employment opportunities. 2007: After working alongside County Supervisors, Dane County became the first county in Wisconsin to eliminate kickbacks to the county for phone, commissary and laundry services in the Dane County jail. This reduced the cost to people held in the jail. 2008: MUM became a voice nationally against the villainization and criminalization of homelessness. 2011: Successfully opposed SB 206, which would have allowed employers to fire or refuse to hire anyone with an unpardoned felony conviction. 2012: Created a Task Force to study the de facto encampment created by unhoused folks on the old car lot on East Washington Ave. Our findings and recommendations to the county board lead to the creation of a day shelter (now the Beacon) and medical respite shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness (Healing House for families).
2020-2021: As a member of the Dane County Board Public Protection & Judiciary Fines and Fees Continued page 2
Summer 2024