February is black history month — and for good reason. It is the birth month of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois. The 15th Amendment, which gave blacks the right to vote, was passed in February of 1870. And the NAACP was formed 39 years later in February of 1909.

These historical figures contributed to the fight against racism that divided the American populace over inequalities. Their efforts were rewarded as African Americans finally gained legal equality with the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the Voting Rights of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Given these legal successes, it is tempting for Americans to feel that civil rights are guaranteed, equality realized and racism a mentality of the past. But this is a dangerous misconception.

According to recent University of Wisconsin guest speaker Tim Wise, unconscious racism is not just present in society today — it’s pervasive. This unconscious racism is manifest in hiring practices that offer job interviews to applicants with “white-sounding names” twice as often as equally qualified applicants with “black sounding names,” as a study done by the University of Chicago demonstrated two years ago.

Such racial bias is demonstrated by the fact that blacks continue to make only 76 percent of white salaries in the exact same positions with precisely the same qualifications. It even shows up here in the progressive heart of Wisconsin, where only 22 percent of blacks living in Madison report a high standard of living, as compared to 76 percent of Caucasians.

These statistical inequalities represent a dark reality in a white world and must be addressed.

For the past two decades, Madison has challenged the inequality status quo through two anti-bias agencies: The Affirmative Action Department and The Equal Opportunity Commission. The AAD works to assure fair hiring practices and wage payment by all city agencies and vendors and investigates complaints regarding harassment. The EOC is more of an educational outreach arm, working to promote cross-cultural awareness, but it also investigates complaints and has the ability to fine public and private agencies for civil-rights infractions.

While these two government bodies have made substantial progress in the push for equality, the aforementioned statistics indicate that their efforts have not been enough. As the new year gets underway, Madison must strengthen these agencies and rejuvenate their efforts. Fortunately, Madison’s Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is determined to accomplish just that.

Mayor Dave’s proposal to combine the AAD and EOC and create a Department of Civil Rights is ingeniously obvious. Under it, the former departments will maintain their current functions, which have always been intertwined but until recently illogically separated by different government letterheads. Erasing this name barrier is only the first way in which Mayor Dave hopes to consolidate the two departments.
In addition to sharing a government title, the two branches within the Department of Civil Rights would also share a single government building, erasing the geographic inconvenience of the present system. All of the government figures involved with this new agency will undoubtedly benefit from easy access to the entire department. However, citizens of Madison will appreciate this new convenience the most as they no longer face being redirected, disconnected or ultimately left unprotected for having contacted the wrong government organization.

Increased proximity also encourages more effective communication and strategy discussion. Together, they will be more capable of helping Madison residents shoulder the cost of living, locate affordable housing and find quality jobs. They may even be more likely to pursue objectives that would increase quality of living — including crime-prevention programs, education against racial profiling and ensuring better public transportation and affordable neighborhood childcare.

In an age of government trimming and program cutting, the mayor’s proposal is a bright spot for those concerned about the city’s social agenda. The reorganization would produce $30,000 — available for housing testing, the hiring of a recruiter to ensure a diverse workforce, and developing language programs to aid growing Latino and East Asian populations.

Most importantly, the merger will guarantee the enforcement of Madison’s new minimum-wage law.

Critics of the proposal, who worry that the consolidation would compromise the missions of the AAD and EOC, must consider the many potential benefits Mayor Dave’s plan offers. Clearly, these two agencies have been working toward the same goal throughout their 20+ year history — bringing them together will only have a multiplier effect on their creativity, level of effectiveness, and drive to secure a more equal future.

Few proposals give birth to perfect program realities, but the city of Madison and its new Department of Civil Rights will be more than capable of adapting to challenges and adopting changes when necessary. The City Council must not let pessimism prevent it from moving forward with the mayor’s proposal. In the battle for equality, we have come too far to continue going nowhere.

Sarah Howard ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science.