The Black Lives Matter protests that emerged in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd inspired a group of diverse high school students to confront the predominantly white suburb of Brookfield to be a more inclusive community. And they did that by writing and proposing a resolution to honor Black History Month — a resolution that turned out to be too controversial. This is a story about how these civically engaged teenagers are forcing their hometown to grapple with race, accountability and the whitewashing of American history.
Here are some notes and references from this episode:
Our "Porch Politics" video segment featuring voter perspectives from the WOW counties.
The Marquette University Law School Poll from Aug. 30 to Sept. 30, 2020, which asked potential voters about their attitudes about "the Black Lives Matter movement."
Spectrum News 1's coverage of the Black Lives Matter protest in Brookfield on June 5, 2020.
DC Fallout's Bandcamp page.
The history and impact of the Chapter 220 program, Wisconsin's only school integration program. Story is by WUWM 89.7 Milwaukee's NPR education reporter, Emily Files. And poignantly, the story centers around a Black student attending school in Brookfield.
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