Help Needed: Racial Justice for All Children (RJAC)
By Shel Gross
We know. You have a lot on your plate. The idea of joining another committee automatically makes you want to stop reading. But what if you could support MOSES’s advocacy work in a way that you can fit into your schedule, instead of trying to fit into ours? Well, maybe you can.
The Racial Justice for All Children Task Force (RJAC) has a lot of “positions” we need filled to do our work. Maybe there is one that works for you.
Our Housing Group seeks to remove one of the earliest and most devastating barriers to educational access, emotional development, and community belonging for Black and brown youth — homelessness and housing insecurity. Housing justice is racial justice for children. If you are interested in any of these positions contact Patti LaCross: lacross.patricia@gmail.com
- Public Housing Specialist: Track the development of new public housing at the Triangle. Identify advocacy opportunities around funding or services/supports and relay these to the Housing Group chairs. Find more information here.
- Private Development Specialist: Talk with management at various privately managed housing developments with large numbers of low-income units (we’ll help connect you) and identify best practices for supporting those individuals or families. Share this with the Housing Group chairs.
- Youth Action Board (YAB) Liaison: The YAB oversees the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. Stay in touch with this projet and let the Housing Group chairs know how we can support their work. Learn about the YAB here.
Our Education Advocacy Group seeks to end the school-to-prison pipeline by ensuring that all children can read proficiently. If this is your passion, here are some opportunities. If you are interested in any of these or want more information, contact Tracy Frank: jtracyfrank@me.com
- Event Assistant: Help plan for a community event in early 2026 about early elementary literacy improvement. Tasks can vary from outreach to logistics, working under the auspices of an existing work group.
- Public Administration Liaison: Become engaged as a liaison with literacy staff at the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) or the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Set up and participate in occasional meetings with other EAG members and monitor communications from these agencies: Wisconsin Reads MMSD
- ‘My School’ Specialist: Be part of a team that is developing relationships with literacy staff at your local elementary school (or one that your children or grandchildren attend). Learn what is happening in the school, what they’re struggling with, and best practices. Share what you learn with the EAG Chair.
Our Restorative Justice and School Wellness (RJ/SW) Group is looking to reduce exclusionary discipline and enhance student belonging within the MMSD. Maybe your skills and interests match the following roles. Contact Barbie Jackson if interested: barbie.g.jackson@gmail.com
- MMSD Liaison: Become engaged as a liaison with an MMSD administrative staff person working in one of our areas of concern: restorative justice, mental health, school safety, belonging and wellness. Help set up and participate in occasional meetings and monitor activities.
- Local Restorative Justice Liaison: Develop a relationship with the Restorative Justice Program coordinator at your nearby MMSD comprehensive high school. Learn what they’re doing and how it’s working. Let the RJ/SW Group chair know about needs and best practices.
- Data Specialist: If data is your thing, we could use help with requesting and reviewing MMSD data or researching best practices, especially around issues of exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions or police engagement.
Or, if you’re interested in one of these areas but the tasks don’t seem like a good fit, reach out to the contact person to see if there is some other way you can help. As my grandmother used to say: “a bissel und a bissel macht a fulla schissel”: a little and a little makes a full bowl. And every “bissel” helps!