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>> The following program is
a PBS Wisconsin original

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production.
>> Beagles from the

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embattled Wisconsin dog
breeder had out of state

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for medical care and
adoption and missing and

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murdered indigenous people
are remembered as the

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capital is wrapped in red.
[MUSIC]

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I'm Frederica Freyberg.
Tonight on "Here& Now".

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Democratic U.S. Senator
Tammy Baldwin on Iran.

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[MUSIC]
The special prosecutor's

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deal on research beagles, a
rally for missing and

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murdered indigenous people.
And we hear about the roots

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and future of Wisconsin's
Black culture as envisioned

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in a new gathering spot.
It's "Here& Now" for May

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8th.
>> Funding for Here and Now

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is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and

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Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
>> This week, there have

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been dizzying developments
in the war with Iran.

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Midweek, the U.S. called
the war concluded, moving

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instead to Project Freedom
to open the Strait of

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Hormuz. But President Trump
quickly quit Project

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Freedom. Now both sides are
considering a peace plan in

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the midst of an uneasy
cease fire. How to make

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sense of this? Even as the
price of oil goes up and

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down with mixed messaging,
while the price at the pump

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stays high. Democratic U.S.
Senator Tammy Baldwin is

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here. And thanks very much
for being here.

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>> Thank you for having me.
>> So with all that's

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happening, what in your
mind is the best outcome?

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>> The best outcome would
be for the war to come to a

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quick end and to use
diplomacy to settle the

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issues. I always have to
remind folks that in 2015,

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there was an international
agreement that would have

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prevented Iran from
developing a nuclear weapon.

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There were intrusive
inspections, and Donald

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Trump, in his first term as
president, ripped it up. I

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think we may end up in this
conflict with a deal that's

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less robust than the one
that was agreed to in 2015.

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Look, diplomacy is the
answer. And instead, Donald

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Trump has brought us into a
war of choice. And I

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emphasize that point
because we were not under

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attack from Iran, we were
not under imminent threat

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of attack. And in those
circumstances, the

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president needs to come to
Congress to authorize use

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of military force. He
didn't. So now we have 13

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service members dead. We
have hundreds more injured,

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some very seriously. And we
see these price shocks with

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gasoline, with fertilizer
for our farmers that are

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just getting ready to plant.
I've been a part of an

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effort with a number of
colleagues to force votes

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on war powers resolutions,
and we are gaining support

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over time from our
Republican colleagues. But

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that's what we need to do
is bring this to a quick

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end and use diplomacy to
achieve our goals.

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>> Do you feel as though
the administration is

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skirting the War Powers
Resolution by declaring

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this war concluded,
terminated over?

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>> I heard just a week ago
the Secretary of defense

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say, well, you can't toll
the days that we've been in

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a cease fire. Those don't
count as part of the 60

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days that the War Powers
Act. References. But

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regardless, they are. We
are currently in

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hostilities. We are clearly
in a war, and it is an

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unmitigated disaster for
the U.S. and the global

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economy.
>> Because you were just

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describing the best case
outcome. What would be the

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worst?
>> The worst is that we end

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up far less secure. And as
an economy as well as as a

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nation, because of this war
of choice, this illegal war

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of choice. You know, and
while it's not tangible,

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the damage it's doing to
the rule of law in this

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country is worth noting.
>> What are your

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constituents saying about
what it means for them here

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at home?
>> Well, I'm hearing mostly

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about the costs. We have
had the highest costs

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really ever, on average for
gasoline at $4.50 on

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average across the state.
Farmers are really reaching

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out to describe the
shortage of fertilizer as

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well as the high price. If
they can source it. This

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will affect what they're
able to plant this year.

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And, you know, that's all
on top of the president's

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previous trade wars that
have cut off markets for

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our farmers and have really
up the cost of inputs. So I

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would say overwhelming
opposition to the war, but

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mostly articulated by folks
who are just feeling the

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squeeze. And they were
already feeling the lack of

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affordability prior to the
war beginning. This has

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just doubled down on that.
>> So we were just talking

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about agriculture and
fertilizer and input inputs

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for farmers. The U.S.
Senate is poised to take up

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the farm bill after the
House passed the $390

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billion version of it. What
are your priorities for the

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farm bill for Wisconsin?
>> Yeah, well, looking at

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the bill that was passed by
the House, I realized that

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it doesn't really respond
to the enormous headwinds

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our farmers are facing. One
of the things that makes

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the House passed Bill,
really a nonstarter in the

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Senate is the refusal to
restore the $186 billion

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that was cut out of the
Snap program. And that is

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something that brings folks
together in terms of farm

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policy. But the House
passed. Bill does not

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include my healthy H2O act,
which helps folks in rural

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areas check their water for
PFAs and other contaminants,

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things that they really
can't afford to do without

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some help. And also the
Farmers First Act farmers,

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because of the stresses,
financial and otherwise

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that they face, have high
rates of suicide. And so

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this is a mental health
program that helps reduce

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that stress and helps make
sure that there are support

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groups locally for them to
turn to.

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>> All right. Senator Tammy
Baldwin, thanks very much.

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>> Thank you.
>> The Wisconsin Beagle

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Breeding and Research
Facility that was

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infiltrated by animal
activists has shined a

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spotlight on biomedical
research conducted on

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animals, as well as the
laws meant to protect

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animal welfare. Following
last week's announcement

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that 1500 beagles from
Ridglan Farms were

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purchased by Big Dog Ranch
Rescue. The undertaking of

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where they will go next
began in one group. Around

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60 dogs arrived at the
Janesville airport, where

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the ones most in need of
medical attention were

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loaded onto a plane and
flown to a facility in new

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Jersey. The rest went by
ground to New York and

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Virginia. The fate of these
beagles is very different

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from the majority of
animals used for research.

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The current farm bill
includes a measure

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prioritizing animals no
longer needed for research

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to be given up for adoption
instead of euthanized.

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Euthanasia was one
consideration for the

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special prosecutor assigned
to investigate Ridglan

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Farms in 2025. La Crosse
County D.A. Tim Gruenke

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found enough evidence to
charge the facility with

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one felony over the
mistreatment of animals. In

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a report summarizing the
case, he states, quote,

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Ridglan Farms made clear
they would argue that

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because they conduct
research and all of the

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dogs being bred would also
be for research purposes.

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The Wisconsin statutes do
not apply to them. Okay. In

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the end, Ridglan Farms
agreed to end its breeding

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for sale operations by July
in exchange for the state

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not filing charges. La
Crosse County District

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Attorney Tim Gruenke joins
us now. And thanks very

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much for being here.
>> No problem.

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>> So why did you seek this
resolution with Ridglan

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Farms?
>> Well, the conclusion I

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came to was that I could
charge one of the types of

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things that I was referred
to by the judge in Dane

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County, and I was going to
charge that. But charging

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that would only have
started a process that

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probably would have taken
six months to a year to get

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to trial. There were some
issues that could have been

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appealed. So charging it
would have just been the

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start of a process of. When
the farm offered to close

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down in exchange of
charging. I thought that

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was a good outcome because
even if I had charged and

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convicted them, I still had
no authority to close them

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down and the fines that
they had been charged with

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as well, they could have
just paid and kept on

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running. So I thought them
ending the business is what

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most people wanted, and
it's more than I could do

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by charging, and it would
happen much quicker than me

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charging. So I thought that
was a good resolution to

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have them agree to end
their business in exchange

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for not charging a crime.
>> So the resolution

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effectively closes down the
operation, because I

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thought that under the deal,
they'd still be able to

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maintain their own research
on remaining animals.

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>> Correct. There's two
parts to the business. The

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part where they do their
own research. I was never

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part of. I had no authority
over them. The judge didn't

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involve that in the
appointment of my special

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prosecution. The only
control I had was on the

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breeding part, which is the
part they agreed to shut

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down. So they did anything
after that, they'd be doing

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it without a license and
could be prosecuted. The

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federal law and the state
law exempt research

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facilities and research on
animals from the animal

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cruelty law. So if they are
doing research on dogs

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under the federal grant of
authority under the USDA,

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the state statutes exempt
that from prosecution. So

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that's why I never had any
authority over them and

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wouldn't in the future if
they continued testing on

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animals.
>> You did find that you

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could support charging on
one procedure conducted on

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these beagles. Can you
describe what that was?

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>> It's called a Chiari I
procedure. It's basically

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an eye gland that is
swollen or prolapsed that

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has to be removed. If you
were doing it with a pet,

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it would be an expensive
procedure and you'd want to

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have a licensed
veterinarian doing it. They

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were doing it the way
they'd been doing it in

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decades past, which is kind
of outdated, which was

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removing the gland without
general anesthesia and

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without having a licensed
veterinarian do it.

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Honestly, if they had found
that it did not fall below

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the veterinary standards,
I'm not sure I would have

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had a legal authority to go
forward. But basically,

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they were performing a
surgery without proper

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veterinary methods required
by the state of Wisconsin.

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>> One thing that you
talked about in your

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charging decision was the
prospect of euthanasia of

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the beagles. Why did you
consider that?

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>> Being familiar with a
lot of farmers growing up

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and farmers in La Crosse
area that I talked to, you

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know, and they have animals
that are injured or need

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some help. They have the
right to euthanize them as

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long as it's done humanely.
And if you had a dairy farm

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or a pig farm where an
animal had some injuries,

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if it costs more than the
cost that animal is to you,

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most farmers would would
put it down. And so that

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was a factor in my charging
decision that it's not a

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place that was breeding
dogs for sale for pets.

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It's a farm like a turkey
farm or pig farm, or

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bringing them for food or
for, in this case, testing.

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So it's not looked at the
same under the veterinary

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standards or under the law.
And so that just reality of

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the economics of farms that
are doing business.

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>> Did it pull on your
heartstrings to pour over

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evidence in this case,
especially as we know that

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you are a beagle owner and
a fan of beagles, actually

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have a painting of one in
your office.

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>> It's heartbreaking to
see them in cages and

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heartbreaking to see them,
you know, not being

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socialized properly, not
being able to run free and

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do what dogs do. But the
law allows for this

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behavior on a farm. So as
long as you're following

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the USDA regulations and
the regulations, the fact

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that I don't like it or we
don't like it doesn't mean

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that we could charge a
crime. So I was relying

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mostly on the state
regulators, inspectors that

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are experts in this area
and going by their advice

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on what they normally see
on farms, dog breeders. And

233
00:13:56,370 --> 00:13:58,572
that's why one of the
reasons I came to the

234
00:13:58,639 --> 00:14:01,041
decision I came to about
this behavior.

235
00:14:01,108 --> 00:14:03,043
>> We leave it there. Xia
Tim Gruenke, thanks very

236
00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:04,912
much.
>> Thank you.

237
00:14:07,981 --> 00:14:10,918
>> Indigenous advocates
want the state to provide

238
00:14:10,984 --> 00:14:14,421
better tracking of victims
and a special office inside

239
00:14:14,488 --> 00:14:17,624
the Capitol to address
missing and murdered

240
00:14:17,691 --> 00:14:21,195
indigenous people, both on
and off the reservations.

241
00:14:21,261 --> 00:14:24,464
Here and now. And I see t
reporter Erica Ayisi

242
00:14:24,531 --> 00:14:27,734
traveled to Menominee
Nation hearing one family's

243
00:14:27,801 --> 00:14:31,205
story of tragedy and why
they were saying her name

244
00:14:31,271 --> 00:14:34,107
at this week's Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women's

245
00:14:34,174 --> 00:14:38,178
Rally in Madison.
>> She was so cool, down to

246
00:14:39,546 --> 00:14:43,217
earth, kind, loving.
>> Rachel Fernandez is

247
00:14:43,283 --> 00:14:46,353
holding a picture of her
late sister in law, Linda

248
00:14:46,420 --> 00:14:49,957
Amy Dickinson. She was a
day care worker who gave

249
00:14:50,023 --> 00:14:53,026
nicknames to her
preschoolers.

250
00:14:55,529 --> 00:14:58,465
and she loved the children.
>> Fernandez remembers her

251
00:14:58,532 --> 00:15:01,902
as a patient listener,
committed to family.

252
00:15:01,969 --> 00:15:06,773
>> She treated my kids like
her own, you know? And she

253
00:15:07,708 --> 00:15:10,944
just had that caring
personality.

254
00:15:13,146 --> 00:15:15,516
>> Dickinson and Fernandez,
both of the Menominee

255
00:15:15,582 --> 00:15:18,685
Indian Tribe, spent time
together as friends and

256
00:15:18,752 --> 00:15:21,288
family on the rural
reservation north of green

257
00:15:21,355 --> 00:15:23,590
Bay.
>> She always had me

258
00:15:23,657 --> 00:15:28,028
cracking up. She always had
a joke. She's very witty.

259
00:15:28,095 --> 00:15:30,531
>> Dickinson eventually
relocated from the

260
00:15:30,597 --> 00:15:33,667
reservation to green Bay
with her new partner.

261
00:15:33,734 --> 00:15:36,803
Fernandez says Dickinson's
life with him was private,

262
00:15:36,870 --> 00:15:40,107
but the impact of their ten
year relationship was

263
00:15:40,174 --> 00:15:43,010
public.
>> She would show up to

264
00:15:43,076 --> 00:15:46,647
work with with Black eyes.
>> Where did she say she

265
00:15:46,713 --> 00:15:51,518
got these Black eyes from?
>> From him. From him. And

266
00:15:52,719 --> 00:15:56,957
she would. She wouldn't
really talk about it.

267
00:15:58,492 --> 00:16:01,094
>> According to Fernandez,
when Dickinson didn't show

268
00:16:01,161 --> 00:16:04,698
up for work at the daycare
on the morning of February

269
00:16:04,765 --> 00:16:09,236
24th, 2014, her colleagues
requested a police welfare

270
00:16:09,303 --> 00:16:13,907
check to her home, finding
the unthinkable by the door.

271
00:16:13,974 --> 00:16:18,779
>> She was shot through her
left cheek in the corner.

272
00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,851
Told them that she had died
in seconds.

273
00:16:24,618 --> 00:16:27,487
>> Her partner was found
dead in the bedroom.

274
00:16:27,554 --> 00:16:31,825
>> He shot himself. So it
was a murder suicide.

275
00:16:31,892 --> 00:16:33,994
>> Leaving Dickinson's
three children, Vanessa,

276
00:16:34,061 --> 00:16:36,897
Kenny and Warren,
motherless.

277
00:16:36,964 --> 00:16:42,035
>> It's tragic all around
because he has kids, too.

278
00:16:42,102 --> 00:16:44,705
>> Fernandez says news of
the double tragedy spread

279
00:16:44,771 --> 00:16:47,474
quickly throughout the
tight knit Menominee

280
00:16:47,541 --> 00:16:51,211
community.
reservation. They're both

281
00:16:52,679 --> 00:16:55,883
tribal members.
>> She says many indigenous

282
00:16:55,949 --> 00:16:59,419
people follow a code of
silence in violence and

283
00:16:59,486 --> 00:17:02,022
abuse stemming from
historical trauma during

284
00:17:02,089 --> 00:17:04,992
the federal Indian boarding
school era.

285
00:17:05,058 --> 00:17:07,528
>> Because our children
were taken from their homes

286
00:17:07,594 --> 00:17:12,332
and they were taught in
these boarding schools not

287
00:17:12,399 --> 00:17:15,035
to talk about what happened
to them.

288
00:17:15,102 --> 00:17:18,672
>> Fernandez says she's
also a victim of abuse and

289
00:17:18,739 --> 00:17:21,775
trafficking, but she's been
able to work through her

290
00:17:21,842 --> 00:17:24,311
challenges and support
other indigenous people

291
00:17:24,378 --> 00:17:27,281
through intergenerational
suffering.

292
00:17:27,347 --> 00:17:31,685
>> I'm okay to accept
forgiveness of myself and

293
00:17:34,221 --> 00:17:37,858
so that really birthed the
activist and the advocate

294
00:17:37,925 --> 00:17:40,260
in me.
>> This empty lot behind me

295
00:17:40,327 --> 00:17:43,430
is where Linda Amy
Dickinson lived here in

296
00:17:43,497 --> 00:17:46,466
Neopit on the Menominee
Reservation with her

297
00:17:46,533 --> 00:17:49,903
children before moving to
green Bay. She lived in a

298
00:17:49,970 --> 00:17:52,806
trailer that's gone now,
but Fernandez says her

299
00:17:52,873 --> 00:17:55,909
memory is alive forever,
and she will say her name.

300
00:17:55,976 --> 00:17:58,912
At the Missing and murdered
Indigenous Women's Rally at

301
00:17:58,979 --> 00:18:03,450
the Capitol in Madison.
>> Linda Amy Dickinson.

302
00:18:04,084 --> 00:18:06,620
>> Fernandez, says the Wrap
the Capitol Red rally is

303
00:18:06,687 --> 00:18:10,157
about breaking the code of
silence within indigenous

304
00:18:10,224 --> 00:18:13,327
communities.
>> You know who was

305
00:18:13,393 --> 00:18:17,364
involved in someone being
missing? You know, why

306
00:18:17,431 --> 00:18:20,767
aren't you saying anything?
>> Relatives of victims of

307
00:18:20,834 --> 00:18:23,504
homicide shared their loved
ones names.

308
00:18:23,570 --> 00:18:28,075
>> I want to speak today on
behalf of my cousin J.C.

309
00:18:28,141 --> 00:18:32,613
Vijoo, who succumbed to
domestic violence.

310
00:18:32,679 --> 00:18:35,749
>> Bad River Ojibwe,
Wisconsin. Angeline

311
00:18:35,816 --> 00:18:38,919
Whitebird Sweet murdered
February 1989. Susan

312
00:18:38,986 --> 00:18:42,122
Poupart Lac du Flambeau
murder, 1992. Children

313
00:18:42,189 --> 00:18:43,957
unsolved.
>> Mentioning family

314
00:18:44,024 --> 00:18:47,895
members who never came home.
>> Charlene Couture Bad

315
00:18:47,961 --> 00:18:52,332
River missing 2009.
>> Including indigenous men.

316
00:18:52,399 --> 00:18:55,235
>> Levon Frank Lac du
Flambeau 1997.

317
00:18:55,302 --> 00:18:58,772
>> Braxton Lee Phillips say
his name.

318
00:18:59,873 --> 00:19:02,476
>> And a plea for more
justice.

319
00:19:02,543 --> 00:19:05,546
>> My lawmakers here. Are
you listening?

320
00:19:05,612 --> 00:19:07,514
>> Attorney general Josh
Kaul says the missing and

321
00:19:07,581 --> 00:19:10,184
murdered. Task force
recommends a permanent

322
00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:14,521
office inside the Capitol
and a report indicating

323
00:19:14,588 --> 00:19:16,757
tribal data tracking.
>> That, unfortunately, was

324
00:19:16,823 --> 00:19:19,593
not included in the last
state budget. But hopefully

325
00:19:19,660 --> 00:19:22,362
we'll see some progress on
these ideas once the report

326
00:19:22,429 --> 00:19:24,731
is out.
>> He says the state is

327
00:19:24,798 --> 00:19:27,100
investing in violence
prevention and

328
00:19:27,167 --> 00:19:29,636
collaborative efforts
between tribal, state and

329
00:19:29,703 --> 00:19:33,674
federal law enforcement to
effectively respond to

330
00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:38,545
incidents. More than 100
advocates, survivors and

331
00:19:40,047 --> 00:19:43,750
families held hands to wrap
the Capitol red.

332
00:19:43,817 --> 00:19:48,288
>> No more stolen sisters.
No more stolen brothers. No

333
00:19:48,355 --> 00:19:51,959
more violence.
>> In solidarity that their

334
00:19:52,025 --> 00:19:55,462
testimonies will be heard.
>> We demand justice for

335
00:19:55,529 --> 00:19:58,899
our relatives. For those
that cannot speak.

336
00:19:58,966 --> 00:20:02,102
>> Reporting from Madison.
I'm Eric Ayisi for Here and

337
00:20:02,169 --> 00:20:05,172
Now and ICT.
>> In brighter news,

338
00:20:10,043 --> 00:20:12,679
thousands are celebrating
the completion of a new

339
00:20:12,746 --> 00:20:15,649
space in Madison that
honors and cultivates

340
00:20:15,716 --> 00:20:20,287
African American culture.
>> We're almost open.

341
00:20:23,056 --> 00:20:25,425
>> Surrounded by community
leaders, the founder of the

342
00:20:25,492 --> 00:20:28,962
center for Black Excellence
and Culture, Alex G.

343
00:20:29,029 --> 00:20:31,932
Proudly led the ribbon
cutting, which marks the

344
00:20:31,999 --> 00:20:35,135
completion of the 3700 zero
square foot space on

345
00:20:35,202 --> 00:20:38,005
Madison's south side, with
a place for meetings,

346
00:20:38,071 --> 00:20:42,042
lectures and social events.
G says the center

347
00:20:42,109 --> 00:20:45,312
unapologetically celebrates
Black history and people

348
00:20:45,379 --> 00:20:47,781
"Here& Now". Reporter Murv
Seymour talked to him about

349
00:20:47,848 --> 00:20:50,851
building the $31 million
space.

350
00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,556
>> Alex Gee, good to see
you again.

351
00:20:55,622 --> 00:20:58,659
>> It's good to see you too.
>> Murv by the time this

352
00:20:58,725 --> 00:21:00,861
airs, we know that little
clock on your website will

353
00:21:00,928 --> 00:21:03,197
have been ticking, ticking,
ticking. And it will hit

354
00:21:03,263 --> 00:21:05,799
zero.
>> What has it been like

355
00:21:05,866 --> 00:21:08,468
and how long has that clock
been ticking to make all

356
00:21:08,535 --> 00:21:10,704
this happen?
>> Oh man, this clock has

357
00:21:10,771 --> 00:21:13,473
been ticking my whole life
in some ways. Murv more

358
00:21:13,540 --> 00:21:17,544
specifically, probably the
thinking about putting

359
00:21:17,611 --> 00:21:19,847
campaign team, we had to
slow things down because of

360
00:21:19,913 --> 00:21:24,051
Covid. So we started
fundraising in 2021. So

361
00:21:24,618 --> 00:21:29,456
it's been five years plus
countdown in terms of, of

362
00:21:29,523 --> 00:21:31,358
seriously being able to see
the finish line.

363
00:21:31,425 --> 00:21:34,928
>> Yeah. And I hate to do
the old what does it feel

364
00:21:34,995 --> 00:21:37,064
like that that reporter a
great question, but what

365
00:21:37,130 --> 00:21:39,166
does it feel like Alex,
after all this?

366
00:21:39,233 --> 00:21:41,802
>> Oh, it feels like a
dream that's come true.

367
00:21:41,869 --> 00:21:44,271
It's one of those things
that's been in the back of

368
00:21:44,338 --> 00:21:47,241
my mind for probably most
of my life. It's why I

369
00:21:47,307 --> 00:21:50,177
chose to stay in Madison,
because I had my sights on

370
00:21:50,244 --> 00:21:52,212
doing something in South
Madison, where we grew up,

371
00:21:52,279 --> 00:21:54,848
where we spent time in a
community that's given so

372
00:21:54,915 --> 00:21:58,785
much to me. But to be here
and to realize that I stand

373
00:21:58,852 --> 00:22:01,922
on the shoulders of so many
people who rub my head and

374
00:22:01,989 --> 00:22:04,625
pinch, pinch my cheeks and
said, you're going to do

375
00:22:04,691 --> 00:22:06,727
something, young man. You
know, keep going to school,

376
00:22:06,793 --> 00:22:08,795
you know, give back to the
community, you know, keep

377
00:22:08,862 --> 00:22:11,965
your faith to stand on
their shoulders and to

378
00:22:12,032 --> 00:22:14,201
realize that they saw
something in me, and they

379
00:22:14,268 --> 00:22:16,737
encouraged me to stay here
and make the community

380
00:22:16,803 --> 00:22:20,007
better if I could. And so I
feel really honored to be

381
00:22:20,073 --> 00:22:22,409
chosen to, to do this and
pull our community together

382
00:22:22,476 --> 00:22:25,379
the way I've been able to.
>> Yeah. And as I was

383
00:22:25,445 --> 00:22:28,215
looking at your website, I
saw a line there. It says,

384
00:22:28,282 --> 00:22:31,785
this is going to be a
sanctuary for healing, a

385
00:22:31,852 --> 00:22:36,123
catalyst for growth, where
we bring Black culture,

386
00:22:36,190 --> 00:22:39,026
creativity, leadership,
research, innovation, all

387
00:22:39,092 --> 00:22:41,562
under the same roof. That's
right. How the heck do we

388
00:22:41,628 --> 00:22:44,631
do that, Alex?
>> Oh, with lots of

389
00:22:45,132 --> 00:22:47,601
partners and lots of
thought. You know, when we

390
00:22:47,668 --> 00:22:49,570
talk about health and
health disparities with

391
00:22:49,636 --> 00:22:52,172
African Americans,
typically the the

392
00:22:52,239 --> 00:22:54,908
assumption is many of us
don't have health care. We

393
00:22:54,975 --> 00:22:56,977
don't take advantage of the
health care that we want.

394
00:22:57,044 --> 00:22:58,979
But research through
schools of medicine and

395
00:22:59,046 --> 00:23:02,583
public policy are showing
that many of our

396
00:23:02,649 --> 00:23:05,419
degenerative diseases are
stress related. And so I

397
00:23:05,485 --> 00:23:07,821
can pick up a magazine and
read 15 different ways you

398
00:23:07,888 --> 00:23:10,557
and I die more readily than
our white counterparts. But

399
00:23:10,624 --> 00:23:13,527
what you don't read is how
do you mitigate that? So if

400
00:23:13,594 --> 00:23:16,430
stress is the culprit, what
do we do to reduce it? And

401
00:23:16,496 --> 00:23:18,632
so in our community,
historically, it's dance is

402
00:23:18,699 --> 00:23:20,634
swag. It's food, it's
hanging out. It's playing

403
00:23:20,701 --> 00:23:22,870
the dozens, it's
intergenerational

404
00:23:22,936 --> 00:23:25,405
programing, it's checkers,
it's watching TV, it's

405
00:23:25,472 --> 00:23:28,642
watching old 70s movies,
but it's spending time

406
00:23:28,709 --> 00:23:30,777
together where we don't
have to code, switch or

407
00:23:30,844 --> 00:23:33,780
feel that we have to be
someone other than who we

408
00:23:33,847 --> 00:23:36,817
really are. And so the role
here is to use all of those

409
00:23:36,884 --> 00:23:38,986
things that you have said
to reduce the stress. But

410
00:23:39,052 --> 00:23:41,855
the benefit of this, my my
great desire is that Black

411
00:23:41,922 --> 00:23:44,191
people live longer and
healthier lives. I haven't

412
00:23:44,258 --> 00:23:46,627
raised all this money. So
Black people can have fancy

413
00:23:46,693 --> 00:23:48,929
places to have dances.
>> And when you say all

414
00:23:48,996 --> 00:23:51,365
this money, people should
know 31 million, probably.

415
00:23:51,431 --> 00:23:53,600
>> 32, sir, 32 million.
>> I don't want to cut.

416
00:23:53,667 --> 00:23:56,103
>> You short. Who's
counting.

417
00:23:56,170 --> 00:23:58,539
>> Right? You're right. For
a debt free facility for

418
00:23:58,605 --> 00:24:01,008
completely debt free
facility.

419
00:24:01,074 --> 00:24:03,911
paint a picture, Alex, of
just like, what really is

420
00:24:03,977 --> 00:24:06,880
going to go on here? I mean,
yeah, we talked about, you

421
00:24:06,947 --> 00:24:08,949
know, the kind of a mission
statement kind of thing

422
00:24:09,016 --> 00:24:11,785
there, but like, give paint
a picture for us.

423
00:24:11,852 --> 00:24:13,987
>> Sure. Well, some of the
like we're sitting right

424
00:24:14,054 --> 00:24:16,857
here in our senior space.
So this is one of the

425
00:24:16,924 --> 00:24:18,959
programs that's ready to go
because so many of our

426
00:24:19,026 --> 00:24:20,994
seniors, once they've
retired, they just seem to

427
00:24:21,061 --> 00:24:23,764
disappear. We don't we
don't see them anymore. So

428
00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:26,834
we want them to come out
and have a place to hang

429
00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:28,936
out right next door to our
children's library, where

430
00:24:29,002 --> 00:24:31,104
they can help young, young
readers. We have a program

431
00:24:31,171 --> 00:24:33,607
that's for entrepreneurs,
innovators, and and folks

432
00:24:33,674 --> 00:24:36,009
that are ready to start
their own businesses. We're

433
00:24:36,076 --> 00:24:38,612
going to work on leadership
development, business

434
00:24:38,679 --> 00:24:40,681
strategy, development,
helping to raise money to

435
00:24:40,747 --> 00:24:42,816
launch those businesses,
and then helping to

436
00:24:42,883 --> 00:24:46,453
introduce people into our
social network so that you

437
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,389
don't have a business
that's ready to go and no

438
00:24:49,456 --> 00:24:53,427
place to carry it out. We
have two films that will be

439
00:24:53,493 --> 00:24:56,563
showing real soon in our in
our theater. We're doing a

440
00:24:56,630 --> 00:25:00,100
couple of weddings here,
graduation parties. But the

441
00:25:00,167 --> 00:25:02,803
special thing that I want
people to know, Murv, is

442
00:25:02,870 --> 00:25:05,239
that we're only designing
about 25 to 30% of the of

443
00:25:05,305 --> 00:25:08,475
the programs here because
we want the community to

444
00:25:08,542 --> 00:25:11,712
come in and say, you know
what we need. Like someone

445
00:25:11,778 --> 00:25:15,215
came in here the other day
who's, who's newer to their

446
00:25:15,282 --> 00:25:18,452
job, and they said, we need
an NABJ like National

447
00:25:18,519 --> 00:25:20,254
Association of Black
Journalists. There's one in

448
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:22,456
Milwaukee. I'm sure you're
familiar with it, but

449
00:25:22,523 --> 00:25:24,925
because there's a space to
host it, someone said we

450
00:25:24,992 --> 00:25:27,227
ought to do a Madison
version. That's the beauty

451
00:25:27,294 --> 00:25:30,063
of this space. Like, that's
not my job to do that. A

452
00:25:30,130 --> 00:25:32,900
journalist came in here and
said that others have come

453
00:25:32,966 --> 00:25:35,235
in and said, you know, we
need a doula program. Can

454
00:25:35,302 --> 00:25:38,572
we can we do that here? We
need self-defense programs

455
00:25:38,639 --> 00:25:41,642
for Black women and moms.
Do we have can we do that

456
00:25:41,708 --> 00:25:44,545
here? So for me, the beauty
the program is when we have

457
00:25:44,611 --> 00:25:47,614
space to come in together
and say, let's create an

458
00:25:47,681 --> 00:25:50,350
association or let's do
something to bring all the

459
00:25:50,417 --> 00:25:52,519
Greek organizations
together, the sororities

460
00:25:52,586 --> 00:25:55,856
and fraternities together
so that we can create a

461
00:25:55,923 --> 00:25:58,425
regional office of working
together. The beauty of

462
00:25:58,492 --> 00:26:02,162
this is I built it, I've
worked to fund it, but the

463
00:26:02,229 --> 00:26:04,164
community is going to help
to fill it.

464
00:26:04,231 --> 00:26:07,067
>> Yeah. And we thank you
for that, Alex. And there's

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00:26:07,134 --> 00:26:09,403
a lot more to talk about.
So this will be continued.

466
00:26:09,469 --> 00:26:12,873
And we appreciate your. I
appreciate appreciate you

467
00:26:12,940 --> 00:26:14,942
Thank you.
>> For more on this and

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00:26:15,008 --> 00:26:16,877
other issues facing
Wisconsin, visit our

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00:26:16,944 --> 00:26:20,314
website at PBS
wisconsin.org and then

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00:26:20,380 --> 00:26:22,549
click on the news tab.
That's our program for

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00:26:22,616 --> 00:26:24,484
tonight. I'm Frederica
Freyberg.

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00:26:24,551 --> 00:26:26,453
Have a good weekend.

473
00:26:44,204 --> 00:26:46,707
>> Funding for "Here& Now"
is provided by the Focus

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00:26:46,773 --> 00:26:51,445
Fund for Journalism and
friends of PBS Wisconsin.