by MOSES Publications | Mar 12, 2026 | MOSES Groups, Newsletter
Check out the updated MOSES website at https://www.mosesmadison.org. It has been completely refreshed and modernized! Megh Designs, a professional developer, guided the design and structure, which was fully implemented by our MOSES Website Team: Ann Lacy, Eric Howland, Pam Oliver, and Barbie Jackson. New features include a comprehensive overview of MOSES on the Homepage with notices of current interest at the top, in-depth presentation of our organizational teams and task forces, collected news and commentary in a searchable blog structure, and access to our past yearbooks and newsletters.
by MOSES Publications | Mar 12, 2026 | Calls to Action, Community Issues, Immigration
Building Unity for Nonviolent Action!
By Ken Warren
On Jan. 24, I was one of several MOSES members who spontaneously showed up at James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation for their monthly People, Peace, and Planet potluck. This particular one had been publicized as a kind of a kick-off for Building Unity for Nonviolent Action (BU4NVA). Speakers included John Nichols, Ajak Johnson, Everett Mitchell, and Rebe Silvey. During the week preceding the event, organizers started to recognize that it was going to be very well attended and arranged to put the presentations on Zoom. You can find a recording of the meeting on the website linked below.
That decision was fortuitous. I never heard an actual estimate of the crowd’s size, but I estimated the number of attendees at 300 to 400. The building was bulging at the seams!
After a welcome by emcee Tim Cordon, Ajak Johnson of Badger Collective got the audience energized and inspired. Their message was to emphasize the importance and strength of collective action. John Nichols followed Johson to the podium and continued to rev up the crowd with emphasis on the human rights violations going on right before our eyes.
Nichols then brought Rebe Silvey to the stage to remind us of the work that Voces de la Frontera has been doing and continues to faithfully perform within the Latinx community. Finally, Judge/Pastor/Activist Everett Mitchell brought everyone to their feet with a rousing speech about the dangers we face as a society – and a challenge to each of us to be ready to act.
Since the Jan. 24 program, at least 25 local, neighborhood, and faith-based groups have formally endorsed and become involved in the movement. Building Unity has already held several training sessions and has more planned. These early sessions filled up quickly, so many of us are still in need of training in ways to be effective when and if the time comes. A weekend of training is planned for March 14-15.
There has been great success in getting individuals to sign the BU4NVA Solidarity statement, but the group is also working to encourage local organizations and churches to add their names to the list of movement supporters. As part of that work, Tim Cordon and Rebe Silvey spoke at our MOSES General Meeting on Feb. 8.
Individual action teams continue to organize and disseminate information, but more action teams are needed. Anyone who knows of a few people in their neighborhood or congregation who are concerned about the tactics of our federal agencies, particularly ICE, are encouraged to form an action team. Visit the BU4NVA website for more information about BU4NVA, including ways to get involved and a schedule of upcoming training opportunities: https://www.buildingunitywisconsin.org/building-unity-for-nonviolent-action/
by MOSES Publications | Mar 12, 2026 | Community Issues
2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election
By Ken Warren
On April 7, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls to select a Supreme Court justice to replace Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is not running for re-election. The election is considered to be nonpartisan; however, the candidates are recognized and recognize themselves as either liberal or conservative. Currently, the Court has a four-to-three liberal majority, and Rebecca Bradley is a conservative justice. For that reason, regardless of the outcome, the majority ideology of the court will not shift.
Chris Taylor, a Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge, is the liberal candidate and is supported by the Wisconsin Democratic Party. She is also endorsed by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Maria Lazar, also a current Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge, is the conservative candidate and is supported by the Wisconsin Republican Party. On her website, Judge Chris Taylor states that her judicial philosophy is “people-centered, grounded in making sure individuals get a fair chance in our courts, and that their constitutional rights are protected.“ Prior to taking her position on the appeals court, Chris Taylor served as attorney and policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. She then served in the state Legislature for nearly 10 years. This history supports her judicial philosophy of being people-centered, as she is knowledgeable about the needs of the people of Wisconsin.
On her website, Judge Maria Lazar states, “A judge must remember there are three separate branches of government, and she should be cognizant of the judiciary’s role. A judge must not be too timid to declare and interpret the law, but also must not act as an activist; instead they must always act with appropriate judicial restraint.” After obtaining her law degree at Georgetown University, Maria Lazar returned with her husband to Wisconsin and was employed for about 20 years in private practice, focusing on business litigation and bankruptcy practice. She then served five years as assistant attorney general for the Wisconsin Department of Justice and seven years as a circuit court judge in Waukesha. For the last three years, she has been on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District 2.
The last election for Supreme Court justice was just last year, in 2025. In that election, the liberal candidate, Susan Crawford, defeated the conservative candidate, Brad Schimmel, in spite of great effort by the Republican party to shift the majority back to conservative. The race drew national attention and broke records for the amount of money involved, most of it from out of state.
At this time, the Taylor campaign has a very large funding advantage; however, that could change as the campaign progresses. In the last election, Elon Musk contributed between $19 and $30 million to the Schimmel campaign. If national conservative donors decide that Lazar is a viable candidate, they may pour funds into the race.
WISN 12 will host a debate between the candidates on Wednesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. It will be an opportunity to learn more about each candidate’s judicial philosophy and attitude toward various issues of concern. You are encouraged to watch it.
by MOSES Publications | Jan 20, 2026 | Events, Life After Prison, MOSES activities, Prisons, Yearbook
The number of women sent to prison has risen dramatically in recent years, both here in Wisconsin and in the nation at large; so it is increasingly important to understand how our system of incarceration tends to treat women and what the effects of that treatment are. MOSES members had some extraordinary opportunities in 2025 to learn about these issues.
Our February newsletter featured an interview with Jessica Jacobs, who survived repeated periods behind bars in her youth and is now supporting other women’s recovery as organizer of FREE in Madison, advocating for reforms in the way the system treats women, and pursuing a college degree that she hopes will enable her to teach either in an alternative high school or in prison. As Jacobs explained, her difficult youth – teen parenthood, dropping out of high school, alcohol and drug abuse, PTSD – both motivates her to work with girls who are in trouble and helps her connect with them.
In May, EXPO sponsored a showing of an award-winning 2012 documentary about women in prison, The Grey Area: Feminism Behind Bars. Besides some heart-breaking individual cases, the film included eye-opening statistics on the large proportion of incarcerated women who are mothers, and the even larger proportion who had previously been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
In November, those who attended WISDOM’s Listening Session at the state Capitol heard powerful first-hand testimony both from Jessica Jacobs, who described the near-impossibility of finding post-release housing if one is a woman with children, and from Crystal Keller, whose daughter was sent to Taycheedah Correctional Institution when her infant was 2 months old. For the next seven months, Keller’s daughter was prevented from reuniting even briefly with her baby, despite the fact that Wisconsin has had a law on the books since 1991 that requires incarcerated mothers to be housed with their babies for the first year after birth. Obviously, the Department of Corrections is not complying with that law.
“The program was allocated $198,000 per year,” Keller said. “Where is that money? That’s $6.7 million in the 35 years they’ve never offered it.”
The extra punishments inflicted on incarcerated women were also emphasized at the Journey to Justice event in October. One panelist described the dehumanizing experience of being placed in solitary confinement during her monthly period and having the male guards refuse to allow her period supplies, a shower, or clean clothes. She also reported seeing a friend who was eight months pregnant being put in a cell and stripped naked to look for drugs as she screamed – a traumatic experience even for those just witnessing it. Other panelists described the common practice of placing women in solitary confinement immediately after they have given birth and their babies have been taken away. This practice, which the DOC calls “protective custody,” actually compounds the cruelty, because it removes these postpartum women from the comfort that other women could provide them at such a vulnerable time.
by MOSES Publications | Jan 17, 2026 | Events, Fundraisers, Life After Prison, Yearbook
A Celebration of Transformation
The MOSES Transformation Celebration 2025 Gala stood as a powerful reminder of why our work matters and whom we serve. Throughout the evening, the energy in the room reflected a collective commitment to justice, restoration, and community transformation. The Gala was not merely a celebration — it was a gathering of people united by a shared belief that systems of mass incarceration and mass supervision can be dismantled when we work together with courage and persistence.
The evening was enhanced by delicious and well-prepared foods created by Goodworks Community Catering/Teenworks. WORT’s DJ Delirious kept the energy high with an excellent selection of music that added vibrancy to our celebration. The beautifully decorated venue provided an elegant backdrop for the event, with thoughtful details that reflected the spirit and mission of MOSES and made the 2025 Gala feel truly special.
The program began with a welcome from MOSES President Saundra Brown, followed by a moving reflection from Sister Toni Harris of the Sinsinawa Dominicans. We thanked MOSES past president, Eric Howland, for his ongoing dedication to our work. MOSES Community Organizer James Morgan gave us a new appreciation of the meaning of transformation in the lives of those who have been impacted by the criminal-legal system.
Myra Renee, president of Anesis Family Therapy, served as emcee for the awards. Linda Ketcham, executive director of JustDane, accepted the Community Impact Award for her organization. She described how JustDane offers support to formerly incarcerated people who are working to transform their lives.
The Transformation Honoree for 2025 was Shar-Ron Buie. Having served as associate director of JustDane, Shar-Ron has begun a new position as Data and Evaluation analyst in the Dane County Office of Justice Reform. He was introduced by an inspiring video and then presented with a beautiful blown glass piece. The list of Shar-Ron’s accomplishments and honors is long, beginning with completing his Bachelor’s Degree and earning 63 certifications and diplomas while incarcerated. His testimony was the most memorable and moving part of the evening, according to many attendees.
“I once thought my story ended with my mistakes, but it truly began when I decided to grow beyond them. Today, I use my experiences to lift others, because transformation is not just about me – it’s about what we can become together.” – Shar-Ron Blue
Special guests included Greg Jones of the NAACP, his wife, Gwen, and their daughter, Rebekah, of the Dane County Deferred Prosecution Program; Coleen Clark-Bernhardt, director of the Dane County Office of Justice Reform; Jael Currie, Community Court coordinator; Jerome Dillard, retired executive director of EXPO, and his wife; Diane Ballweg and Harry Haney of the Madison Justice Team; a member of the Caribbean Association of Madison, and members of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Five justice impacted persons received scholarships to attend the event.
The 2025 Gala reminded us that the work ahead — though challenging — is achievable when rooted in solidarity and guided by the values of equity, compassion, and justice.
Acknowledgements
Gala Sponsors:
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa
Summit Credit Union
Madison Gas & Electric
Grace Episcopal Church
Pamela Gates
Dick Goldberg
John Murphy
Anonymous donors
Gala Planning Team:
Mary Anglim, Saundra Brown, Lucy Gibson, James Morgan, Julia Slotnik, and the volunteers who set up and cleaned up
Media:
Dee Star: Interview Videographer
Talia Nchang: Expressions Photography
DJ: WORT’s D.J. Delirious (Demetrius Long)
