Coming Together Racine

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Coming Together Racine Mission: to actively challenge and eliminate racism in the greater Racine area We believe in a community-wide approach in solving racial issues;
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On February 25, 2005 the YWCA of Racine hosted a Town Hall on Race entitled Race to Race / Face to Face. This day-long program brought together community members from all walks – corporate, non-profit, faith, government, and educational. The information included presentations on the History of Racism and on the State of People of Color in Racine in the following areas: Education, Jobs & Unemployme

nt, Economic Development, Healthcare, Housing, Politics, and Criminal Justice. That event made it very clear that the greater Racine community is not doing all it can to work against racism, and in fact needs to intentionally work to eliminate the barriers that prevent equal voice and access to the resources in this community. It also became clear that although many organizations and institutions are working on diversity and/or anti-racism as a part of their mission, there was not one organization whose sole mission is to work to eliminate racism. As a direct result of the the Town Hall on Race and in response to seeing a need to focus on the destructive powers of racism, a community-wide committee was formed. Dedicated community members came together to create The Committee to Eliminate Racism, which began meeting in April 2005. The committee created the following Mission and vision statements:
Mission: To actively challenge and eliminate racism in the greater Racine Community. Vision: To create a genuine inter-racial community where all people have equal voice and access to resources and opportunities. After assessing the Racine community and its stakeholders, the Committee to Eliminate Racism felt that the Coming Together Project would be a perfect fit for our community for the following reasons:
1. We look to make systemic changes vs. taking a band-aid approach to solving racial issues;
3. We desire to be membership driven;
4. We desire the same short- and long-term outcomes as the Coming Together Project;
5. We have a vested interest in eliminating racism; and
6. We feel we have local funding sources that can support the initiatives. In September 2005 the Committee to Eliminate Racism submitted a Grant Proposal and Application to become an affiliate of Coming Together Project, and in February 2006 was approved as Coming Together Racine. The roots of the Coming Together Project was a year-long series published in Akron, Ohio’s newspaper The Beacon Journal on race relations entitled “A Question of Color” in 1993. Even before the series was completed, dozens of community members & organizations offered their help in bridging the differences. The series of articles was awarded the 1994 Pulitzer Gold Medal for Meritorious Public Service. In Akron, more than 60 civic, social, religious, and educational organizatiosn joined together to participate in community improvement. In 1997 the Project gained national attention when President Bill Clinton visited Akron for the nation’s inauguration Town Hall meeting on race. The primary Goals of the Coming Together Project are:
Raise awareness of the Project in the community and beyond;
Educate community members on how to approach the issues of racism; and
Bring people together to foster awareness and appreciation of all cultures. The Committee to Eliminate Racism – now Coming Together Racine:
Believes in a community-wide approach in solving racial issues;
Looks to make systemic changes vs. taking a band-aid approach to solving racial issues;
Desires to be membership driven;
Has a vested interest in eliminating racism; and
Feels the community of greater Racine will support this initiative. Coming Together Racine will work to:
Promote racial harmony in the community
Educate community members on racism and its effects on people and the community
Bring people together to foster awareness and appreciation of people of all cultures

To achieve these goals the Committee will provide opportunities for members of the Racine community to dialogue, explore, learn, and strategize around racism.

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23/03/2026

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We’re just 5 days away from the Indian Summer Festival Spring Powwow & Native Art Market and we couldn’t be more excited!

Our volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes to bring this event to life. This fundraiser helps support our mission and ensures we can continue hosting our Festival in the fall and future events.

Join us this weekend to celebrate, support Native artists, and experience the energy of the powwow.
Can’t attend but still want to support? You can help us reach our fundraising goal - link in comments!

22/03/2026

"White supremacy is the unnamed political system that has made the modern world what it is today." Charles W. Mills, The Racial Contract, c1997.

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19/02/2026

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Peter Thomas was a 14-year old slave in Tennessee when Wisconsin Troops freed the plantation where he lived. He joined the 15th Infantry as a servant because Black soldiers were not allowed to join the Union Army early in the war. As soon as that changed, he enlisted and fought until the war ended in 1865 under the alias Peter Dabney.

Thomas settled in Racine in 1883 and in 1887 became the first Black elected official when he was elected county coroner. He served for two years. A member and officer of the Grand Army of the Republic (a fraternal organization of veterans) Thomas is documented in local papers traveling to many summits for the GAR as a representative for Racine.

12/02/2026

Coming Together Racine requests that Racine County rename a Street
We call on Racine County, Wisconsin, to change the name of “Christopher Columbus Causeway,” the portion of the street under County control, to “Kipikawi Causeway.” The City of Racine approved renaming the portion of the street under City control on September 30, 2019 to Kipikawi Causeway. A sign, designed by the Potawatomi Nation, was installed on the corner of Fourth and Lake Avenue. This action would give the street one name instead of two; currently the two names for the same street are causing confusion for visitors.

On Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 5pm, Racine County’s Public Works, Parks, and Facilities Committee will consider a Resolution proposing this name change. The meeting will be held at Ives Grove Auditorium, 14200 Washington Avenue, Sturtevant, Wisconsin.

It is well recognized that for many thousands of years, the land that we now live on was first inhabited by Indigenous Peoples. Estimates of this population before 1492 range from 40 to 89 million.

Early colonial settlers were responsible for the decimation of Indigenous people through warfare, enslavement, societal disruption and widespread endemic diseases. Diseases alone killed over 90% of the Native population in the Americas. During the Spanish conquest an estimated 8 million indigenous people died in a series of events described as the first large scale act of genocide in the modern era.

Considering this history, glorifying the name of the person directly responsible for initiating this mass suffering is an insult to Indigenous brothers and sisters. Indigenous peoples have reported that seeing the name Christopher Columbus, and hearing about celebrations honoring him, bring feelings of despair, shame, and anger. Real and just solutions to the trauma are within reach. By taking even small steps, such as removing the name of the person responsible for crimes against humanity from a public road sign, we can reduce the trauma.

Every year since 2019, Coming Together Racine, an anti-racist organization, has celebrated this name change with the help of various Wisconsin Indigenous Nations. In 2024, the Forest County Potawatomi Nation donated a statue of the Fire Keeper and held a sacred ceremony to celebrate.

Send letters of support to Racine County Board of Supervisors, 730 Wisconsin Ave, Racine, WI 53403 by March 11, 2026. Thank you.

44 Black Evanston Descendants Will Receive $25K In Reparations: Report | Evanston, IL Patch
12/02/2026

44 Black Evanston Descendants Will Receive $25K In Reparations: Report | Evanston, IL Patch

The Evanston Reparations Committee announced that 44 Black residents will receive reparations payments this year.

07/02/2026

ICE agents involved in the agency's surge into Minnesota have regularly crossed the border into nearby western Wisconsin communities.

06/02/2026

Coming Together Racine calls for a boycott of Kenosha until Sheriff Zoerner withdraws from the 287(g) agreement.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner went back on his word. He said in September he would not cooperate, but he has now signed a 287(g) contract with ICE without proactively informing the public or seeking community input. Kenosha has put in place a Jail Enforcement Model program, which purportedly grants deputized local officers broad authority to interrogate individuals about their immigration status, issue detainers, and initiate deportation proceedings directly within a jail setting.

Today I'm remembering another police murder. Fred Hampton, Chair of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, mur...
08/01/2026

Today I'm remembering another police murder. Fred Hampton, Chair of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, murdered in his bed by Chicago PD. I'm proud to have heard him speak. He would have made a great President. Thank you Chairman Fred, we honor and remember you, along with Renee Nicole Good and the many other innocent victims. Rest in Power.

14/10/2025

Today would’ve been George Floyd’s 52nd birthday. He should be here celebrating with his family but his life was stolen from them. George's legacy lives on in the global fight for justice. We honor him by continuing to demand dignity for every Black life. Rest in power, George.

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