Don’t Take the Bait!

A monthly toolkit to help counter dog whistles, disinformation and more in Wisconsin politics.

Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

PROVIDING FOR OUR KIDS

This summer, we have an opportunity to unite to ensure our legislature provides all our children with the freedom to learn joyfully, nourish their imaginations, and meet their needs head-on. 

As always, if our messages don’t spread, they don’t work. Our shared challenge is to break through the noise by pulling together with a narrative that inspires our communities to chime in and join us. 

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

PUBLIC SAFETY + PRE-TRIAL FAIRNESS

In addition to the state Supreme Court race, two questions will be on your ballot next month around cash bail and pre-conviction conditions. Please make no mistake: these are devious changes being pushed by a wealthy and powerful few hoping to divide us by where we live and what we look like and use us as their pawns as they attack our freedom.

This month’s newsletter focuses on how to talk truthfully about these referenda to remind our audiences what really keeps us safe and point out the motivations behind the false narratives being fed to us by people who want to divide us.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

VOTING FOR THE FREEDOM TO BE SAFE

In April, we have a real opportunity to join together and take another step toward building the world we all want. The current six justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court have split ideologies, meaning future court decisions will often be decided by the one vote of the seventh justice we elect this spring. That person will serve for 10 years and decide cases about community districting, voting, abortion, and more.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

Freedom and the WI State Supreme Court

In Wisconsin, whether we’re Black, white or brown, we value our freedoms — our freedom to vote, to decide whether and when we grow our families, and to know our kids will make it home safe at the end of the day.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

FREEDOM FOR ALL

If we want the media to change the story, we must give them a new story. This election will require showing (not just telling) that we are turning out, helping people vote, and living and breathing American values of freedom and liberty for all.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

FREEDOM AND SAFETY FOR ALL

We know what keeps us safe. It's living in communities where we look out for our neighbors, have the great schools and healthcare we need, and have leaders who fully fund our community — from violence prevention programs to mental healthcare.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

HATE VS. LOVE

This month, as our airwaves and cell phones are bombarded with the dog whistles (or bull horns) of “dangerous,” “radical,” and “different,” it’s more important than ever to expose these racially charged narratives — and the people and motivations behind them — without helping them spread.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

TRANSPHOBIC RHETORIC

This month, the brand of dog whistle politics will focus on transphobia and political rhetoric that stokes hate against trans kids and adults to “construct an internal enemy as both focus and division.”

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

SOMEONE YOU LOVE MAY NEED AN ABORTION

We all know that someone we love will need an abortion someday and that we’d want them to be treated with compassion and receive the care they need.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

CARE AND HEALING

This month we offer resources for processing, grieving, and caring for yourselves. If you have any resources, accounts, posts, books, podcasts, or anything else you’ve found comfort in, please feel free to share them with us.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

ANTI-CHINA RHETORIC

We stand with AAPI communities and organizations in Wisconsin and nationwide, who have raised the alarm about these dangerous and misleading dog whistles.

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

USING EDUCATION TO DIVIDE AND DISTRACT US

Lately, some Wisconsin politicians have been using our children’s education as a wedge issue. There is a flurry of opposition activity around education, but they don't address what our kids actually need. So what are the real goals of these bills and the messaging being used?

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Dr. Cass Bowers Dr. Cass Bowers

LAW & ORDER

We know what keeps us safe: communities where people of every color have fair wages, great schools, and affordable healthcare, where we address problems with proven solutions like social support instead of ever more militarized police.

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