Organizer’s Corner
By James Morgan
Greetings MOSES! Once again, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for your time and dedication to MOSES as we move forward in 2024 to address criminal-legal system reform and the racial disparities in education and housing that contribute to mass incarceration and mass supervision in Wisconsin.
During my early tenure, we increased our membership by welcoming Middleton UCC, the Crossing UW Campus Ministry, and First Congregational UCC’s Prison Ministry Project into MOSES. Our advocacy and presence in the community has garnered the interest of the Poor People’s Campaign and the Beth Israel Center and has allowed us to engage with the Wisconsin Department of Justice in discussions about our efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in our justice system, including their impact in the juvenile justice system.
As your representative, I have spent time at our state Capitol testifying at Senate and Assembly hearings on two critical bills: one relating to pre-release employment opportunities for those currently incarcerated, and one relating to persons impacted by proposed legislation to retroactively require electronic monitoring (GPS) surveillance for life. I extended invitations to both the Senate and the Assembly Corrections Committees to attend the documentary screening of The 50, which was being sponsored by the Havens Wright Center for Social Justice in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sociology Department.
There’s much more on the horizon! Entering into 2024, we must increase our efforts to get out the VOTE! This is a critical election season! Local, state, and national elections and who will sit in the seats determining the future of our city, state, and national offices rest with our choices and decisions to elect candidates that represent our ideals, sense of justice, and faith. Though I am not eligible to participate in our battle for democracy by voter participation, my thoughts have me considering the impact of this cycle of elections. Worldwide conflicts and social, economic, education, racial, and gender disparities are all within our purview. It is our responsibility to critically think about our vote and how we may encourage others to cast a well thought-out vote.
Finally, I say to each of you,
Let’s do MOSES!