by MOSES Publications | Aug 27, 2025 | Advocacy, Newsletter, Prisons, WISDOM
“Healing Over Harm” Rally at the Governor’s Mansion on Aug. 23
By Sherry Reames
A good-sized crowd turned out for this WISDOM demonstration in front of the Governor’s Mansion in Maple Bluff on Saturday morning, Aug. 23. At least 20 members of MOSES were on hand, many of us with homemade signs, joining a large contingent from MICAH in Milwaukee, representatives from other WISDOM affiliates around the state, and allies from other organizations like the ACLU and the Poor People’s Campaign. MOSES Organizer James Morgan served as emcee, introducing all the speakers and energizing the crowd with repeated chants of “Healing Over Harm! People Over Prisons!”
The current WISDOM president, the Rev. Kathleen Gloff, opened the program with a memorably powerful prayer, and the Rev. Michael Burch from MOSES and The Crossing closed the event on a note of hope. The speakers in between kept the intensity level high as they offered first-hand testimonies to the cruelties and injustices of Wisconsin’s incarceration system. Here’s the list of speakers and their subjects:
- JenAnn Bauer, on issues especially impacting women prisoners;
- Bobby Ayala, on his experience as an Old Law juvenile lifer;
- Megan Hoffman, whose mentally ill father died at Waupun due to medical neglect;
- Tammy Jackson, a mother poetically protesting the incarceration of her three daughters;
- Tom Gilbert, a father working against the revocation system that ensnared his son;
- Mark Rice, WISDOM Transformational Justice Coordinator, summarizing the reforms we will demand from this governor, the legislature, and all political candidates in 2026;
- Kina Collins, WISDOM interim executive director, on why Wisconsin policies matter regionally and nationally;
- Ray Mendoza, a family member calling on other men to stand up against the shackling of pregnant women.
Fortunately, members of the press were on hand to record some of the rally’s highlights. If you missed the event itself, you should still be able to learn more about it from the coverage on Madison radio station WORT, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and on the MOSES Facebook page.
by MOSES Publications | Aug 27, 2025 | Fundraisers, MOSES activities, MOSES leadership
By MOSES President Saundra Brown
The MOSES Fundraising Team has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming MOSES Gala, which is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22, 5:30-9 p.m. The event promises to be a celebration of resilience, community, and justice. As always, the focus of our celebration is the honoring of three formerly incarcerated individuals who are rebuilding their lives and continuing to thrive and inspire as they do so.
The four-member Fundraising Team, which meets twice monthly, has accomplished much in just eight meetings. To date, they have:
- Confirmed the Gala venue: the Goodman Community Center’s Brassworks building on Madison’s east side.
- Designed and distributed “Save the Date” flyers.
- Selected the three honorees,who are now being interviewed and filmed by the MOSES Community Organizer.
- Completed the program for the event.
- Secured two financial sponsors, with five additional sponsorships pending.
- Finalized ticket prices at $100 per person, or $750 for a table of eight.
The team has also created a task schedule to coordinate volunteer roles, to ensure that all aspects of the evening — from media outreach to on-site logistics — are covered. MOSES members are encouraged to sign up promptly for assignments, ranging from flyer distribution and social media promotion to event-day support. To check out the volunteer tasks and sign up for one, click here!
The team is also seeking donations for the Gala’s silent auction. Suggested contributions include bicycles, jewelry, themed gift baskets, artwork, tickets to an event, or a gift card for a meal at a restaurant. Donations of such items will help make the evening a success: it’s fun to see who wins the items in question! It could be you! And of course the silent auction raises funds to support MOSES’s mission.
“We’re expecting a full house,” a Fundraising Team member said. “This Gala isn’t just about raising money — it’s about lifting up stories of transformation and building stronger community ties.”
MOSES invites all members and supporters to purchase tickets, volunteer, and contribute auction items. With collective effort, the November Gala will be both a celebration and a catalyst for continued work toward justice.
For more information, to purchase tickets, to offer a sponsorship, or to donate silent auction items, please contact us via president.moses.madison@gmail.com.
by MOSES Publications | Jul 13, 2025 | Featured, Newsletter, Prisons, Reviews
By Sherry Reames and Margaret Irwin
On May 22, EXPO (Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing) sponsored the showing of an award-winning 2012 documentary, The Grey Area: Feminism Behind Bars, at the Urban League of Greater Madison. The film was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by MOSES Organizer James Morgan and featuring three previously incarcerated local women.
The film had its beginnings in 2009, in a small class on feminism. Student volunteers from Grinnell College taught the class; their students were a small group of women incarcerated at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. One of those volunteer instructors, Noga Ashkenazi, who went on to become a professional writer-director in Israel, started filming during the class and put the rest of this documentary together after she graduated.
The finished documentary includes eye-opening statistics on the number of incarcerated women in the U.S., the large proportion of these women who are mothers, and the even larger proportion who had previously been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. But the most powerful parts of the film are the personal testimonies of the small group of incarcerated women who share their life experiences in the course of the class discussions. For example, we won’t soon forget the young woman who confessed that she felt safer in prison than she had ever felt on the outside. And we have been haunted ever since by the apparently hopeless case of a very appealing juvenile lifer, now middle-aged and obviously rehabilitated, who may never get a second chance because Iowa governors don’t give commutations.
The three women on the panel that followed the film, all previously incarcerated, declared that the current system is not a system of justice, but one of retribution. They suggested ways to improve the situation, including the following:
- The Department of Corrections needs to prioritize maintaining family connections while women are incarcerated.
- The community needs to support the children of incarcerated parents.
- It’s essential to have housing available for those being released, as well as help with transportation and jobs.
A large contingent of MOSES members was on hand for this event. But if you missed it – or if you saw the film and would like to share it with your congregation or neighborhood – the website “Women Make Movies” has information about buying or streaming it for nonprofit use. There’s also a trailer on YouTube. Just don’t confuse this Grey Area with the very different podcast and 2022 movie that use the same title.
by MOSES Publications | Jul 13, 2025 | MOSES activities, Newsletter, Organizer
James Morgan, interviewed by Margaret Irwin
As Organizer, what has stood out to you since the last newsletter?
“I’m struck by the number of opportunities that are being presented to MOSES for further community-based collaborations and partnerships,” James said. “At the June General Meeting, Harry Haney spoke about the Madison Justice Team. Kina Collins, Interim Executive Director of WISDOM, spoke about plans for our statewide organization. Following those conversations, I see this as a time of opportunity for us to expand our presence in the community, build our capacity, and increase our membership. Additionally, I recently had the opportunity to engage the president of the Urban League. I will be meeting with him sometime soon to talk about a possible collaboration with MOSES. The Black Men’s Coalition has already expressed an interest in MOSES, and I will be meeting with Cory Marionneaux.”
In addition to the Juneteenth celebration, what are you looking forward to in the next couple of months?
“I am at work on two major events. We hope the November 22 Gala will have a sell-out crowd. We’re getting started early by contacting potential sponsors, considering the cost of tickets for this fund-raiser, and getting people thinking early of things to donate for the raffle. An impressive trio of honorees has been lined up. In addition, I am bringing back the practice of giving a community-impact award to a local organization.
“The National Bus Tour on Solitary Confinement will come to Madison in November. In addition to Talib’s solitary confinement truck, we’ll have the national truck present. We are arranging for several locations where people will be able to access these solitary confinement spaces. We’re also planning a video screening and a panel discussion. Mark Rice from WISDOM’s Transformational Justice Campaign is working with us. We want to have ample time to publicize this campaign, to ensure that the logistics are in place, and to recruit volunteers.”
What do you want our readers to know?
“I am invested in them, in MOSES. I take my position within the organization seriously. I am constantly thinking about and engaging with people in coming up with creative ideas to expand our presence and connections in the community at-large. We also need to increase knowledge within MOSES.
“Community organizing is fun! I meet a lot of wonderful people and also a lot of people with challenges, who simply need someone to listen to what they’re going through. I try to assure these folks they can come to us; we will do our best to reach out to public officials and to legislators to advocate for their needs and to do what’s best for everyone in the community. I would like to sponsor community listening and informational sessions to achieve this.
“Another idea in development is a MOSES-sponsored sit-down with other nonprofits, business entities, and public officials. We would have a conversation to see where we connect on issues and how we can start working collaboratively. It’s important to show that we are not in competition; we can work together to accomplish our goals. This could set a model for the greater community in how to network, how to grow, and how to advocate for themselves. If anyone has suggestions of who to invite or other ideas for implementing this idea, please let me know.”
Let’s Do MOSES!
by MOSES Publications | Jul 13, 2025 | Advocacy, Behavioral Health, MOSES activities, Newsletter
By Shel Gross
Kevin is his real name. This is a true story. I’m not omitting his last name to avoid a slander lawsuit; there is no slander in this story. It is possible that someone reading this will figure out to whom I am referring. Fine. The point is that I don’t want to personalize it too much. While what Kevin did was exceptional to me, I don’t want to portray it as an exceptional occurrence. The point is that the relationships you develop with legislative staff can deliver. Big time.
At the April MOSES General Meeting, two things rose up that, together, led me to share this story. In introducing his discussion of our Disciplines and Attitudes, James Morgan noted that a number of people had expressed frustration about when we were going to get some “wins,” that is, some victories on our issues. Later, during a breakout processing our experiences from Madison Action Day, someone expressed disappointment that they had not been able to meet with their elected representative, only with a staff person. I think my experience as a lobbyist brings some perspective to these comments.
First, let me say that it is great if you get to meet with your elected representatives and develop a relationship with them, especially if their interests intersect with yours and they sit on committees that hear bills of importance to you. If you’re part of MOSES and your legislator sits on the committee dealing with Corrections, you want to leverage that relationship as best you can. But that will not always be the case. If your legislator’s interests are in banking or agriculture, they may have little real knowledge about corrections. They will often leave those details to one of their staff people. Just sayin’.
And there is the reality that your visit may end up conflicting with something else your legislator has to do, like attend that committee meeting, or maybe meet with someone who they decide is more important to meet with than you (although no one will say that). And that someone may be someone who can actually advance the issue you are concerned about. You may not know. But you’re left with meeting with the staff person. Maybe that’s okay.
Kevin worked in the office of a Joint Finance Committee member. As a member of the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health (WCMH), we had a statutory responsibility to report to the governor, the legislature, and state agencies on mental health concerns. So that gave us access to Joint Finance Committee members — a real plus for a registered lobbyist! We did, on occasion, meet with Kevin’s boss, who was supportive of some of our issues. I would note that at the time there was a fair amount of bipartisan support for mental health issues in the legislature. But often we met with Kevin. He clearly resonated with our concerns and developed a strong relationship with the leader of our statewide mental health consumer group (a person who, herself, was living with mental illness).
But this is actually not the story of what the legislature did while Kevin worked there. I think we got some wins, but nothing earth-changing from our perspective. It is the story of what happened after 2011, when Scott Walker was elected Governor and appointed Kevin’s boss to be Secretary of the Department of Health Services (DHS) – and she brought Kevin along as her executive assistant. DHS was the focus of our advocacy work. While there were important mental health issues addressed by other departments, like Corrections and Public Instruction, DHS had responsibility for overseeing Wisconsin’s county-based system of services for adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disorders, which were a core focus for the WCMH.
And so, of course, we used our relationship with Kevin to continue our advocacy. And an amazing thing happened. You may or may not remember that December 2012 was when the Sandy Hook shootings occurred. I do, because that is when the Governor was finalizing plans for the 2013-2015 state budget, and he wanted to do something in response to those shootings. But he didn’t want to address gun control or gun safety. So, he decided to roll out a major mental health funding package. (Note: Mental health advocates do not like it when politicians respond to mass violence by addressing mental illness, because it draws an incorrect connection between mental illness and violence, but, to his credit, Gov. Walker did not play this up.) I still clearly remember the day Kevin got a bunch of us on a conference call to give us a sneak preview of what was to come. The Governor’s package was going to include six of the top items we had been advocating for, some for over a decade. Any one or two of them would have been enough for crazy celebration — would have been big wins — but this was almost surreal.
Now, I don’t really know what role Kevin played in this, but it is not hard to imagine that the Governor shared his wish with the Secretary and that she talked with Kevin. How else do all our priorities show up in one package? Kevin never denied it.
Relationships matter in politics. You just don’t always know which ones. You know which seat someone is sitting in right now; you don’t know where they’ll be sitting in five years. So if it is staff you are talking with, then use that time to gain that person as an ally.
Politics, as most of you know, is a marathon, not a sprint. We do ourselves a disservice if we reduce our idea of a win to “what did you do for me today”. We do not know, we cannot know, which conversations that we are having today will become the seeds for our future victory. Many of the conversations we had with politicians over the years about mental health issues impacted their understanding of those concerns, changed the way they thought about mental health services, and helped lay the groundwork for “wins” that may have only come many years later. Our job is to have those conversations, advocate as best we can, and remember that this is a long game.
