UPFRONT: Center for Black Excellence and Culture opens Wed.

>> WELCOME BACK. THE NEW CENTER FOR BLACK EXCELLENCE AND CULTURE OPENS WEDNESDAY IN MADISON. >> THE PROJECT. YEARS IN THE MAKING. NOW LOOKING TO HAVE A STATEWIDE IMPACT. IT’S THE VISION OF REVEREND ALEX GEE, WHO TOOK US INSIDE JUST DAYS AHEAD OF THE GRAND OPENING. EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THIS THIS SPACE IS ALL ABOUT. >> SURE. AS I’VE LOOKED AT THE HORRIBLE RACIAL DISPARITIES BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AND HOW THAT’S RESULTED IN A GREAT EXODUS OF OF BLACK FAMILIES TO OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. I’M LEAVING WISCONSIN WITH A GREAT BLACK BRAIN DRAIN. I STARTED ASKING WHAT WOULD MAKE MADISON FEEL LIKE HOME TO PEOPLE IN DANE COUNTY IN WISCONSIN. AND I HAD LISTENING SESSIONS WITH OVER 800 BLACK PEOPLE. AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID TO ME WAS, WE WANT TO FEEL THAT WE BELONG. WE WANT TO SEE OURSELVES AND OUR CULTURE. THEY SAID LIVING IN WISCONSIN SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE GOING TO GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE OR BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE, AND EVERYBODY ELSE’S PICTURES ON THE MANTEL BUT YOURS. AND AFTER A POINT, YOU JUST FEEL LIKE I’M. ARE Y’ALL NOT TELLING ME SOMETHING? AM I NOT IN THIS FAMILY? AND SOMETIMES THAT BEING BLACK IN WISCONSIN CAN FEEL LIKE THAT. AND SO WE REALIZED WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE A SENSE OF PRIDE IN BEING BLACK AND WISCONSINITE. AND SO LET’S TALK ABOUT OUR HISTORY. LET’S LET’S NOT JUST FOCUS ON SLAVE TRADING AND, YOU KNOW, AND BONDAGE AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE KNOW ABOUT. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE EXCELLENCE THAT’S THAT’S PERMEATED OUR STATE AND OUR BLACK FIRST. AND, AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE MADE, HELPED TO MAKE THIS STATE GREAT AND TO LIVE INTO A STATE MOTTO OF FORWARD. AND AS WE STARTED REACHING THOSE RESEARCHING THOSE STORIES, WE WERE INTRIGUED ABOUT WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO. SO THIS IS A PLACE THAT NOT ONLY HELPS US TO LOOK FORWARD BASED UPON OUR EXPERIENCES IN THE PAST, OUR GOOD EXPERIENCES, BUT IT’S A PLACE WHERE WE CREATE A BRIGHTER FUTURE TOGETHER. SO IT’S MEANT TO CREATE NOOKS AND CRANNIES AND SPACES AND CLASSROOMS AND PERFORMING SPACES AND LOUNGES AND SENIOR SPACES AND LIBRARIES SO WE COULD LEAN IN AND CREATE ASSOCIATIONS AND GATHERINGS AND CONFERENCES AND DISCUSSIONS AND WRITE PAPERS. BUT IT’S MEANT TO MOTIVATE US TO BUILD UPON THE STRENGTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. >> WHAT IS YOUR, YOUR HOPE OR YOUR VISION ON THE IMPACT THAT THE CENTER HAS ACROSS THE STATE? >> YOU KNOW, WHEN MADISON IS OFTEN SEEN AS THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE FOR ELDERS, FOR YOUNG COUPLES WITH NO CHILDREN, YOUNG COUPLES WITH CHILDREN, AND MANY IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY HERE IN MADISON AND GREATER MADISON WILL OFTEN SAY, FOR WHO BEST FOR WHO. WE WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN THOSE STATISTICS. WE WANT MADISON TO BECOME ONE OF THE BEST PLACES IN THE COUNTRY TO LIVE. FOR US AS WELL. BUT WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS IF WE CONTINUE TO LEAVE IN GREAT NUMBERS, AS WE HAVE, AND WE’RE EXPERIENCING THE GREATEST MIGRATION OF BLACK FOLKS FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY, THEN ALL OF THE COMPANIES THAT ARE TRYING TO CREATE WORLD CLASS INSTITUTIONS WITH MEMBERS THAT ARE THAT WITH AN INCLUSIVE BUSINESS, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE RELEVANT FOR THEIR GLOBAL BUSINESSES IF THEIR STAFF IS NOT MORE INCLUSIVE. SO THE WAY THE BROADER COMMUNITY WILL BENEFIT IS NOT JUST THAT WE’RE HOPING THAT MORE BLACK FAMILIES WILL STAY HERE. WE BELIEVE THAT THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT WE’LL BE MORE INTACT BY HAVING A PLACE WHERE OUR CULTURE, OUR GREATNESS IS REINFORCED, AND WE DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHO WE ARE OR JUSTIFY WHO WE ARE. THAT PUTS US IN A HEALTHIER POSITION. AND AGAIN, THE WAY I SAY IT IS WHEN WE CAN BE OUR BEST. IT’S ONLY THEN THAT WE CAN GIVE OUR BEST TO THE COMMUNITY. SO THE RESIDUAL EFFECT IS THAT WE WILL HAVE BLACK FAMILIES THAT WILL CONNECT AND MAKE MADISON EVEN GREATER THAN IT IS, MAKE WISCONSIN EVEN GREATER THAN IT IS NOW. >> A FASCINATING LOOK INSIDE.