Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / Community Voices / Milwaukee does not need “plantation politics”

Milwaukee does not need “plantation politics”

July 13, 2015 by Della Wells 2 Comments

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
(Photo by Sonji Hunt)

(Photo by Sonji Hunt)

Della Wells, an artist and community activist, writes that a Republican plan to take over Milwaukee’s failing schools sidesteps Milwaukee residents and their elected officials.

In 1998 when Gov. Tommy Thompson proposed a state takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Milwaukee school board member Leon Todd called the takeover plan “plantation politics.” Todd’s stinging assessment indicated that the only reason Thompson proposed the plan was that Milwaukee had a large African- American population so taking over the public schools would be an easy sell to Wisconsinites.

If Thompson’s proposal had been approved, the state would essentially become MPS’s overseer, just like the overseers hired during slavery to maintain control of the slaves.

Seventeen years later, Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. Dale Kooyenga, both Republicans, have proposed a plan to take over MPS’s failing schools, but this time the schools would be under Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. Neither Darling nor Kooyenga live in the City of Milwaukee, nor were they elected by the residents of Milwaukee. They are attempting to sidestep Milwaukee residents and their elected officials.

Quite frankly, I feel the only reason Darling and Kooyenga feel they can get away with their proposal is because most of the failing schools are in poor and African- American communities. This is hypocrisy because there are failing schools in other districts in Wisconsin, but their proposal does not include those schools. I believe this is because those schools are in predominately white districts.

State Sen. Lena Taylor exposed this hypocrisy when she suggested the same proposal be implemented in other districts where there are failing schools. Interestingly, the same state lawmakers who supported this plan for Milwaukee did not support the same plan in their own districts.

Darling and Kooyenga’s proposal is akin to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s state takeover of Detroit. I believe their goal to privatize MPS Schools is to sell Milwaukee education to the highest bidder. The move would weaken local control of Milwaukee’s public schools, dilute the impact of Milwaukee votes on pertinent issues and weaken the teachers’ union. As far as I know, neither Darling nor Kooyenga have met with any of the residents, parents, students or teachers at the affected schools.

Since Darling and Kooyenga appointed themselves to fix MPS and ignore input from Milwaukee lawmakers, residents and teachers, perhaps Milwaukee residents should circulate and sign a recall petition in River Hills and Brookfield to send a message that we are unhappy with their leadership on this issue. Oh wait, we Milwaukeeans can’t. We don’t live in their districts.

“Plantation politics” is alive in Wisconsin, whether it takes the form of voter ID, food stamp reform, weakening unions or the takeover of MPS. It is not what Milwaukee or Wisconsin needs to address their problems.

 

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Community Voices

About Della Wells

Comments

  1. Jeanette Wright-Claus says

    July 13, 2015 at 11:10 am

    Well said Della.
    An even larger elephant is the pipeline to prison and caste system. To learn more about these Plantation Policies and politics read ‘The New Jim Crow’ , Michelle Alexander’s book on Mass Incarceration or check her out on you tube.

    JWC

    Reply
  2. Carrie says

    July 13, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    As the gap widens between rich and poor, be prepared for more and more proposals like this, especially from Republicans. Most of them think the poor are stupid and lazy, and that they, as the rich, should tell the rest of us what’s best for us, and we should be grateful for what they give us.

    Sad fact is that in the past 250 years there has been no major social change without some sort or violent uprising or revolution.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

Community First hires two developers, makes plans to serve more residents

OPINION: An open letter to the police chief: Surveillance and profiling are the not the building blocks for police reform

Post from Community: Looking for a job? Here are some opportunities.

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in