News and Commentary
This page displays timely announcements, news reports, and articles written by MOSES members previously published in our newsletters, yearbook, or venues. Signed articles offer information and interpretations to support advocacy, but are not official MOSES positions. Links to official MOSES position statements may be found on this page. The main display shows all items with the most recent first. You can select particular topics, working groups, or types of information to see the articles of one type, with the most recent first. Also see the Publications & Resources page for links to whole newsletters and yearbooks as well as other resources for research.
From Prison to Law School
by MOSES Publications | Mar 12, 2026 | Life After Prison, Newsletter
From Prison to Law School: Dant’e Cottingham's Journey Since March 2022 By Sherry Reames The Wisconsin Examiner headline, "Formerly incarcerated teacher instructs UW law students about criminal justice system," caught my attention in late January; and I was even more interested when I recognized that formerly incarcerated teacher as Dant’e Cottingham. Dant'e was the subject of a "Returning Citizen" profile in the Oct/Nov 2022 issue of the MOSES Newsletter, half a year after his release....
MOSES Website Has a Brand New Look!
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...
Building Unity for Nonviolent Action!
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...
2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election
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...
Organizer’s Message 2026
by James Morgan | Feb 16, 2026 | Organizer
Organizers’ Message 2026 As we enter into a New Year, like many of our fellow citizens and social justice entities we find ourselves experiencing levels of uncertainty about the future of our national, state, and local affairs. We are tasked to find the means whereby we may be intentional in how we respond to the upheaval in our social, political and financial structures that we’ve struggled with for 250 years, seeking to build a nation that reflects some, if not all of the ideals and...
Message from Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway about ICE
by Barbie Jackson | Jan 30, 2026 | Immigration
Mayor's Message "I would like to take a moment to assure community members who are concerned regarding potential ICE action in our city. Madison is — and will remain — a welcoming city that supports its immigrant and refugee communities. City of Madison staff are closely coordinating with emergency management personnel, local law enforcement, and the organizations who are directly serving our immigrant populations. We are also engaged in scenario-planning for situations that other cities have...
Gamaliel-wide call to Block ICE & CBP Funding
by Barbie Jackson | Jan 29, 2026 | Calls to Action, Featured, Immigration, WISDOM
Call to Action Gamaliel and WISDOM, the parent organizations of MOSES, have declared that they oppose funding ICE and CBP. They have issued a call to all affiliates to: Take action - Please contact your U.S. Senators to tell them to vote NO on the FY2026 DHS Bill & Halt ALL Funding for ICE and CBP: ONLINE DIRECT ACTION FORM Partial Message from WISDOM President, Kathleen Gloff Dear Ones, After Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday morning, Gamaliel called an emergency...
Women’s Experiences during and after Incarceration: 2025 in review
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...
A Message from MOSES President: Like MLK, Jr. “I too, have a dream!”
by Barbie Jackson | Jan 18, 2026 | Advocacy, Featured, Special Content, Support MOSES
Dreams are fundamental because they shape vision, give purpose, and move people to action. They help us imagine what does not yet exist and provide the moral and emotional energy needed to pursue change. Without dreams, there is no direction; without direction, there is no progress. Dreams are often the starting point for justice, transformation, and hope—they are the seeds from which courage, resilience, and collective action grow. Growing up in Warren, Arkansas, I came of age in a small,...
Celebration of Transformation 2025
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...