UW-Madison: Letter from the Chancellor Regarding Tony Robinson

From UW-Madison
Rebecca Blank, UW Chancellor

     "As we await Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne’s findings in the death
of Tony Robinson, we recognize that no decision will heal the pain that comes
with the loss of a young life. Even as we prepare for today’s announcement, we want to look ahead and remind the community of three important initiatives that we believe hold promise for
addressing some of Dane County’s deepest divisions.

(1) The first is the Race to Equity Project, <http://racetoequity.net/>, which
produced a groundbreaking report on racial disparities in the county.
(2) The second is the Delegation to Create Economic Stability for Young Families,
<http://go.wisc.edu/unitedway>, organized by United Way of Dane County to put in

place the most effective strategies to help young families become
self-sufficient.

(3) The third, announced Friday, is a new NAACP-United Way task force co-chaired by
Everett Mitchell, our director of community relations, and UW Police Chief Susan
Riseling.

     We also want to invite the campus community to participate in UW-Madison’s
common reading program, Go Big Read, <http://www.gobigread.wisc.edu/> which this
next fall will focus on inequality in America. We’re reading “Just Mercy,” Bryan
Stevenson’s autobiographical account of working to make the legal system more
just and humane.

     Our community, like our nation, must continue forward. Together, we believe we
can find ways to promote peace and justice through dialogue and change.  We
recognize you cannot have one without the other."