Organizer’s Corner: James Morgan
Interview by Margaret Irwin
In a recent conversation, our Community Organizer, James Morgan, described his recent activities as an effort “to solidify our space in this community.” He noted that several organizations in the community have recognized who we are and have indicated interest in connecting with us.
On Aug. 23, James served as emcee for the “Healing Over Harm” rally that was held outside the Governor’s Mansion. Speakers sent the strong, challenging message to our current governor, Tony Evers, and to our next governor as well, that Wisconsin’s criminal-legal system needs to be one that heals, not one that perpetuates the harm.
James also took part in August in a two-day conference on mental health presented by Anesis Therapy. There he met people with whom he hopes to develop relationships; he invited them to learn what MOSES is doing by attending our monthly meetings and exploring our website.
During the summer, James also took time out for some R & R. He vacationed in Michigan, doing some fishing and spending time with his wife, Rachel, and his daughter and grandkids. Now he is ready to get back to work!
Ongoing projects include the national solitary confinement bus tour, which will be in Madison Oct. 11 and 12. James is helping with logistics, such as finding a way to park both the national tour bus and Talib Akbar’s solitary confinement truck at the state Capitol on Oct. 12!
Now James is lining up other activities to take us to the end of the year. WISDOM will be offering some weeklong online training sessions facilitated by Conor Williams, WISDOM’s affiliate liaison, and James will be one of the presenters. He encourages MOSES members to participate in these free learning opportunities. Watch your inbox for details!
James also plans to increase collaboration with the League of Women Voters, given that Gov. Evers will not be running for re-election. And he looks forward to establishing a relationship with the leaders of the Caribbean Association of Madison. He also wants to meet with people in city government – e.g., alders and neighborhood association leaders – and is hoping that will lead to community forums in 2026.
For some time, James has been looking for new office space, and now, thanks to Michael Burch, director of The Crossing Student Ministry on University Avenue, he has an office in their building! He sees the campus location as an opportunity to work with students and to make presentations to social science and law professors. The Crossing has a huge communications network that goes out across campus, so it can advertise the work that MOSES is doing. There is ample space for James to offer training to students interested in criminal-legal system reform. James notes how delightful it will be to look out on the campus, in contrast to his view of concrete and boxes in the previous office space. He hopes that some MOSES members will participate in the events we’ll be able to sponsor on campus.
James is also looking forward to working with WISDOM’s new executive director, Kina Collins. Her background in addressing gun violence and related issues will make her a powerhouse in supporting MOSES, he says, noting that Kina is looking forward to engaging across the affiliate network to create a stronger structure for WISDOM. James sees this as a plus for MOSES. He hopes it will lead to more support from the other affiliates, so that greater numbers will show up for press conferences and issues involving the Department of Corrections, education, etc.
Recently, James has been doing training sessions with the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology’s “Fund Development Advice for New Nonprofit Leaders.” Next up is fund-raising training. He, Barbie Jackson, and Saundra Brown will be doing a leadership training program for nonprofits that is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin.
James notes that all these activities will help strengthen our organization and offer more opportunities to participate. “We don’t have to agree on everything all the time, but let’s make the effort to work together,” he says. “We can show Madison something!”
He wants to have a time to sit down with leaders of other community organizations involved in advocacy – e.g., the Urban League, the NAACP, the League of Women Voters – to build a power base, so that we will be ready to respond to issues as they arise. “Given our political realities now, we need to join forces with as many people as we can, to have effective pushback on some of the things that may be coming out of our legislature or local government,” he says.
In conclusion, James says: “I’m very encouraged, very happy to be able to represent MOSES in the ways that I do. I want to continue that and even step it up a notch.”
Let’s Do MOSES!