Dare to Divest

Wisconsin's Public University and College Chancellors

In solidarity with massive national calls for intersectional justice and liberation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) and Vote Mob are calling for immediate and sustained action to end the policing and criminalization of BIPOC populations on Wisconsin’s public university and college campuses. We call on campus leadership to reimagine safety and create supportive environments for campus community members. To support this vision, campuses must divest financial resources from policing and reinvest those funds into restorative justice, community care, and supporting BIPOC populations.

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To: Wisconsin's Public University and College Chancellors
From: [Your Name]

In solidarity with massive national calls for intersectional justice and liberation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT) and Vote Mob are calling for immediate and sustained action to end the policing and criminalization of BIPOC populations on Wisconsin’s public university and college campuses. We call on campus leadership to reimagine safety and create supportive environments for campus community members. To support this vision, campuses must divest financial resources from policing and reinvest those funds into restorative justice, community care, and supporting BIPOC populations.

Our Demands:
1. Divest from policing. This includes: dissolving campus police departments, and severing ties with local police departments and/or privatized security forces.

2.Invest in transformative justice, restorative justice, and community care on campus that includes, but is not limited to counselors, restorative justice practitioners, mental and physical health services, financial support, healing spaces, food pantries, and clothing closets.

3. Provide fair and equitable compensation for university employees, including students. All employees must earn at least $15 per hour. Eliminate all pay disparities across university faculty, staff, and employees.

4. Compensate students for appearances in promotional materials, especially when images are being used to promote diversity and inclusion initiatives.

5. Establish and maintain support for campus hate or bias response teams, including concrete plans for ensuring justice for those impacted.

6. Establish and maintain additional full-time staff positions dedicated to engagement and retention of marginalized students, faculty, and staff on campus (QTBIPOC, BIPOC, disabled people), that incorporates compensated BIPOC student oversight bodies.

7. Implement comprehensive (or improve upon existing) courses and staff/faculty training with live BIPOC instructors on power, privilege, anti-racism, violence, consent, and oppression.