A reflective journal about faith and action from Madison-area Urban Ministry

Fall/Winter 2013

Dear Friends,

As MUM enters our 46th year we want to pause and say “thank you.” Many of you have been with MUM from the beginning, others are new partners. Each and every one of you fills a vital role in our work for a more just, equitable and compassionate community.

2018 was an exciting and challenging year. In April, at our annual MUM Partners for Change Luncheon, we had an incredible gathering and shared stories about our work with children who have an incarcerated parent. During the year, we added two new contracts that provide Certified Peer Support for people returning from jail and prison. We started renovations at Healing House. We expanded Just Bakery.

In January of 2018, Just Bakery began to use the National Restaurant Association’s Manage First Curriculum, thereby allowing our students to gain five national certifications. Those certifications translate into 12 credit hours at Madison College for our graduates that wish to pursue a degree. (Three currently are enrolled.) We added two additional class cohorts specifically designed for individuals with significant trauma. This required our staff to make some modifications in our program schedule, pace and materials, and now we have increased the graduation rate among women in our program! Just Bakery also became a recognized Workforce Academy

program through the Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. In June, we piloted our first ever Just Bakery Youth Cohort. It was funded entirely by our congregational and individual supporters. Ten students participated in the 10-week program. They got their ServSafe Certification and received a $1,000 training stipend. Some of the students were referred to us through Sun Prairie’s Alternative School; they also received summer school credit. It was a learning curve

for all of us. We’re proud to report an 80% graduation rate!

MUM now has 11 staff members who have become State Certified Peer Specialists. A Peer Specialist has lived experience with mental health or substance abuse – and at MUM, also has lived experience with the criminal justice system. After completing a 48-hour training program and passing a State Certification exam, our Peer Specialists work with individuals coming home after jail or prison. Returnees must maneuver through what is too often an unforgiving landscape of barriers put in place by landlords, employers and state and local ordinances. Our Peer Specialists

are here to walk with them, side by side. We have Peer Specialists in our reentry office as well as Just Bakery; we also will have a Certified Peer Specialist in Healing House.

We are working collaboratively with Professor Paja Charles of the University of Wisconsin to pilot the Parenting Inside Out program (PIO) in Dane County. PIO is the most rigorously evaluated and validated parenting program for parents who are incarcerated and for parents returning to the community. Stay tuned this year as our collaboration proceeds.

Our Journey Home and Circles of Support programs continue to offer valuable mentoring and support for men and women returning home after incarceration. MUM is one of very few reentry programs that serve women. This year we have seen a significant increase in the number of women engaged in our programs, especially for Peer Support and Case Management. Women returning home from prison face the same barriers as their male counterparts, but in addition they also face challenges with childcare, the ability to afford an apartment large enough for their family, sexism in the workplace, and they have access to fewer reentry resources.

The renovation of Healing House is underway with a target completion date of April 5th! We have finalized our collaboration with the Road Home, which will provide the housing

A community where our spending policies reflect our values

Winter – Spring 2019

Compassion and Justice are companions, not choices

continued on page2

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Dialogue is a reflective journal of faith and action printed by Madison-area Urban Ministry staff. The positions expressed here are the opinions of the authors and not necessarily the board of directors or funding sources of MUM. Faith communities and all individual members receive a copy. Individual membership in MUM is encouraged. Please mail contributions to our address below or visit MUM’s website.

2115 South Park Street Madison, WI 53713PH (608)256-0906www.emum.org

Community Valuescontinued from page1

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Proud Partner

case management for families. While our doors aren’t open yet, we have been working with families for over three years. Most recently, in cooperation with the Madison School District and The Road Home, we helped Eva. Eva has two children, she was experiencing a high-risk pregnancy, and she is homeless. On October 29th she had a C-section along with a complete hysterectomy. Two days later, a local hospital discharged her back onto the street. Our Healing House Coordinator was with Eva at discharge. Almost unbelievably, the hospital staff never asked her if she had a safe place to go. Eva’s high-risk pregnancy was greatly aggravated by homelessness. Her baby was delivered six weeks early and was in the NICU for a month. Thankfully, working with MUM partners and our congregational supporters, Eva and her daughters had housing before her baby was discharged. In the future, women who are homeless and experiencing a high risk pregnancy can come to Healing House to get as healthy as possible before they deliver. Healing House will improve birth outcomes, will work with families to access permanent housing, and will help reduce the racial disparities that permeate our medical and housing systems.

It’s been a year of growing our relationships and collaborations. MUM now has a Memorandum of Understanding with over 18 Dane County nonprofits with whom we work in the best interest of the men, women and children who walk through our doors. We know these organizations. In fact, MUM helped develop some of them. We’re blessed to be able to rely on the expertise of our partners for the good of our participants and all of us in the community.

One of the unique things about MUM is that the change we seek is found at both the personal and the policy level. Our direct service work helps our neighbors who return from prison, who live in poverty, and who are homeless. We support children affected by parental incarceration. Through MUM, our neighbors find support to rebuild their lives, to be safe, to find living wage jobs, and to maintain the parent-child bond despite separation.

Informed by our service, MUM’s advocacy work focuses on the systemic issues that persist in our community: homelessness, racism, poverty and the isolation of our marginalized neighbors. Direct service programs – as important as they are to the people touched by them – will never replace our work for justice. In 2019, we’ll be launching our Task Force on the Criminalization of Poverty focused on the intersection of poverty and the criminal justice system. In 2019, the doors to Healing House will open. In 2019, we’ll continue to build a community where our spending policies reflect our values. We’ve made progress, but we’re not there yet.

All of our work happens because of partners like you. Together we envision and hold onto dreams of a just and inclusive community in which opportunity is within the reach of every person. As William Sloane Coffin said, “compassion and justice are companions, not choices.” So let us continue our work for a compassionate and just community.

With gratitude and faith,

Linda Ketcham, Director

MUM Opens New Satellite OfficeWith the expansion of our reentry program to include Certified Peer Support Specialist staff, we’ve had to find some additional office space. Starting in February, these MUM staff members will move into their new offices, located at 320 Lathrop Street, just across from Healing House. • Our Coordinator of Volunteer

and Community Engagement (608-467-8122)

• Our Mentoring & Family Connections staff (608-467-8126)

• Our Healing House Coordinator (608-467-8120)

The building is owned by First Congregational UCC and they have offered us a very generous lease agreement. We are grateful for their support and to all our partners and volunteers for your help to get the new space ready.

Dialogue Madison-area Urban Ministry 3

Tenth Annual Longest Night Homeless Person’s Memorial Service MUM is honored to be an organizer of the Annual Homeless Person’s Memorial Service. December 21st, 2018 marked the tenth year for this service locally. We are one of hundreds of such services held around the United States as part of the National Coalition on Homelessness’ Longest Night Memorial Day. The following is

an excerpt from MUM Executive Director Linda Ketcham’s reflection at the Service:

“Each year we gather in community to remember and celebrate the brothers and sisters in our community who have died, who experienced homelessness. We acknowledge and remember their

lives. Each year as we gather names we try to find out a little information about the individuals. Sometimes the people who send us their names offer some reflections and information. Sometimes we find it online.

One of the names that stood out to me this past year was Michelle Chandler. Michelle’s obituary simply

read “Michelle passed away in December 2017. Michelle was a resident of Wisconsin at the time of her passing.”

I didn’t know Michelle but I know that she was so much more than just a resident of WI at the time of her death. She was a daughter, maybe a sister, an auntie, a grandma, a

friend. There are likely people who grieve her death, maybe people who still don’t know that she died over a year ago. But tonight we celebrate Michelle’s life. We may not know what her gifts were, but we know that every person has gifts they bring to their life and into the lives of others. We

know that Michelle had struggles too, although we don’t know all of them. Tonight we celebrate her life, her gifts, we grieve her loss, and for those who loved her and are grieving, we offer our sympathies. We honor her strength and give thanks that she was.

As we reflect on the meaning of this service, on our reasons for gathering, for mourning, and for celebrating, may we remember all of our brothers and sisters who are without a home tonight. May we remember all of our brothers and sisters who have died while on the streets, known and unknown. Let us give thanks for their lives, for the gifts they shared, and the joy they brought to those who loved them.”

This year with love and sorrow we remembered the following individuals:

Steve Tangney (12/11/18)A good friend who will be missed

Jeffrey Bracey (12/29/57 - 12/27/17)Jeffrey was a beloved father who had a wonderful smile and loved to laugh.

Michelle Chandler (12/17/17)

Wayne Foss (9/11/18)A veteran from Baraboo, Wayne served his country in Vietnam. He is dearly missed by his longtime partner Julie.

Charles “Maverick” Masini (11/18/44 - 10/21/17)Maverick was a loving friend and an artist who is greatly missed.

Robert McKnight (Age 61, died 11/2/18)Robert was a well-known and affable character in the street community who is missed by his friends.

Dustin Miller (4/23/85- 5/6/2018)A beloved brother and a friend.

Richard Petrick (1/4/59 - 1/31/18)A beloved brother and a friend.

Thomas Reimann (Age 61,died 6/26/18)Thomas was a gregarious soul, always helpful to others. He lost his battle with addiction. He is loved and missed by his friends.

Charles Robinson (11/15/18)Charles was a warm and gentle soul.

Paul Thorman (3/15/18)

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This year MUM’s Executive Director was invited to offer a reflection on Dr. King’s legacy as part of the January 19, 2019 Community Ecumenical Service celebrating Dr. King. The service was held at Lake Edge Lutheran Church. Below is that reflection:

“In remembering Dr. King on his 50th birthday, Rev. William Sloane Coffin said, ‘truth be told, most of the tributes today and tomorrow will be spoken and heard by those who would rather enshrine than follow Dr. King.’

Dr. King’s 1967 book “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community,” was, and is, a prophetic call for justice on a broad scale, calling for a revolution of values and cautioning us to stay awake. He wrote:

‘A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be beaten and robbed as they make their journey through life. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it understands that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring…’

He said a true revolution of values sees the growing gap between worker wages and employer profits and says ‘This is not just.’

It sees our exploitation of other countries, taking the profits out with no concern for the people of those countries, and says ‘this is not just…’

It acknowledges that war as a way of settling differences is not just and that

‘a nation that year after year spends more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death…’

King believed that America, the richest, most powerful nation in the world, could lead this revolution of values, and that we could pay adequate wages to public servants to insure that the best and brightest guide our future generations. He believed that only our lack of vision prevented us from paying an adequate wage to every American citizen from hospital worker to day laborer, and from guaranteeing an annual minimum and livable income for every American family.

Dr. King wrote ‘There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from reordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from remodeling a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood.’

We see Dr. King’s legacy in the progress that has been made toward racial equity and inclusion -- but we’re still remodeling the status quo. Racism, poverty and exploitation are still with us: holding onto the vestiges of racist systems, opposing a living wage, restricting voting rights, calling for walls to keep people out; and yes, even among we nice white liberals who sometimes feel a little uneasy with some of the non-violent actions challenging injustice within our own community.

Remember that Dr. King’s letter from a Birmingham jail was penned in response to “liberal” white clergy who felt uncomfortable with his tactics and message, who wanted to slow down the pace and wait. It

was and is the truth, the discomfort, and the cognitive dissonance created when our words are judged against our actions, and when our policies and systems are judged against our professed values, that makes us uncomfortable.

Dr. King’s legacy lives on in acts of organized resistance to the violence of racism, poverty and exploitation.

He lives on in the work of the Black Lives Matter movement and the local Young Gifted and Black Coalition calling for economic justice and an end to police violence;

In the work of Freedom Inc., protesting the presence of police in our schools and the school to prison pipeline;

In the work of the new sanctuary movement welcoming the stranger;

In the efforts of the Fight for $15 campaign working for a livable minimum wage;

In the protesters at Standing Rock protecting indigenous lands and resources;

In the No New Jail movement calling for investment in community, not jails, and in the work of the Free the 350 Bail fund as it challenges our system of debtor prisons;

In students pushing for an end to America’s fascination with protecting guns over people;

In the New Poor People’s Campaign as it builds a broad based coalition for justice.

He lives on in Omaha Elder and Viet Nam vet Nathan Phillips who

Reflection on Dr. King’s Legacy

continued on page5

Dialogue Madison-area Urban Ministry 5

was verbally assaulted… on the National mall by a group of white high school students wearing Make America Great Again hats. Mr. Phillips responded to the assault with love saying “Those pro-Trump kids were brought up to believe I’m less than human. They were chanting ‘build the wall.’ That energy could be turned into feeding the people and cleaning up our communities. We need these youth to be doing that.”

He lives on in the work of countless

women, men and children in our community who wake up every day, get out of bed and gird themselves for another day of struggle.

Dr. King’s closing words in Where Do We Go From Here are as prescient today as they were in 1967: ‘In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity. …we may cry out desperately for time to

pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words “too late.”... We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos and community.’

As we leave here today may we choose community and carry on the revolution.”

Dr. King’s Legacycontinued from page4

2019 Advocacy Day: People of Faith United For JusticeThursday, April 11th (8:30 am – 4:00 pm)

First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Avenue, Madison

People of Faith United for Justice is a day-long gathering to learn, discuss, pray and advocate together for social jus-tice issues of importance to all the people of Wisconsin. As a new legislature starts work on the next state budget, our representatives need to hear our values, priorities, and concerns, our expectations and aspirations. Issues for Advocacy will be Clean Water, Expanding Badger Care and Early Child Care. Whether we expect them to agree with us or not, they need to hear from us. Together, we can ensure that our commitment to compassion and justice is reflected in that budget.

Co-Sponsors: Wisconsin Council of Churches, WI Faith Voices For Jus-tice, Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Lutheran Office for Public Policy, Madison-area Urban Ministry, Milwaukee Jewish Federation,

Jewish Federation of Madison and Wisconsin Jewish Conference.

https://www.wichurches.org/calendar/event-list/advocacy-day/

Partner with mum:• Follow us on Facebook

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• Sign up for email updates

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6 Madison-area Urban Ministry Dialogue

Dialogue Madison-area Urban Ministry 7

YES! I/we want to be part of the Partners for Change community!

My/our donation to celebrate MUM’s 46th anniversary is enclosed

Name/s ___________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________

Email ________________________________________ Phone ________________

❏ My check is enclosed to reserve _____ tickets at $50/ticket for April 23rd Luncheon

I/we would like to support the luncheon at the individual/family level:

❏ Partner ($300, 3 tickets) ❏ Activist ($200, 2 tickets) ❏ Social Change ($100, 1 ticket)

Menu preference: ❏ _____# Chicken (also gluten-friendly) ❏ _____ Dairy-free Chicken

❏ _____# Vegetarian ❏ _____# Vegan ❏ _____# Other dietary needs

❏ I/we won’t be able to attend, but enclose a donation of $ _______

For questions about sponsorship or registration, contact Kathy Eckenrod at kathy@emum.org

Please mail checks payable to MUM, 2115 South Park Street, Madison, WI 53713 To register or purchase tickets online: https://mumpartnersforchange2019.eventbrite.com

Partners for Change Keynote: Retired Judge Paul HigginbothamOur keynote speaker for this year’s Partners for Change Luncheon is Retired Appeals Judge Paul Higginbo-tham. He was the first African American to serve as a Wisconsin appellate court judge. He currently serves on Governor Evers’ Transition Team. He received both his undergraduate and law degrees from UW Madison, later joining the faculty of the UW Law School. Judge Higginbotham be-gan his legal career in 1985 as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Inc. The next year, he joined the law firm Reynolds, Gru-

ber, Herrick, Flesch & Kasdorf and Borns, Macculey & Jacob-son. In 1988, he became the minority affairs coordinator of Dane County, and in 1992, he became a Madison Municipal Judge. In 1993 and 1994, he worked as the Acting Execu-tive Director of the Madison Equal Opportunities Commis-sion. He then became a Circuit

Court Judge. He worked in this capacity until he was appointed to the Court

of Appeals in 2003. In 2011, Judge Higginbotham was the recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Award here in Madison.

Our Emcee for our celebration is the Honorable Everett Mitchell. He is a

Dane County Circuit Court Judge and is Senior Pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church, and is a graduate of Morehouse College, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the UW Madison Law School. He states, “Justice is not an op-tion. It is who I am, it is my way of life, what I am committed to, what my family lives out, what we breathe.”

KeynoteJudge Paul Higginbotham

EmceeJudge Everett Mitchell

8 Madison-area Urban Ministry Dialogue

Madison-area Urban Ministry

(608)256-0906 www.emum.org 2115 South Park Street Madison, WI 53713

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You are invited!

PARTNERS FOR CHANGE LUNCHEON

Celebrating MUM's46th Anniversary

Tuesday, April 23rd11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Details: pages 6-7