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Social Action Shabbat Welcomes Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes 

03/16/2021 05:45:42 PM

Mar16


We are honored to have Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes join us as our speaker for Social Action Shabbat on Friday, April 9. He will speak about how we can address the many deep divisions in our society: political, racial, economic, geographic, and religious, among others. After years of increasing fragmentation and heated rhetoric, we long for healing form these schism. Lt. Gov. Barnes will offer his thoughts on how we can improve the quality of our civic discourse and move forward on behalf of all Wisconsin residents. 

This Shabbat comes the day after we observe Yom Hashoah V'hagvurah, Holocaust and Heroes Remembrance Day. This is an appropriate time for us to consider ways to avoid all fascistic and totalitarian forms of government, while we work toward more democracy and unity. 

Lt. Gov. Barnes is the first African American to serve as a lieutenant governor in Wisconsin, and the second African American to ever hold statewide office. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Lt. Gov. Barnes is the son of a public school teacher and a United Auto Workers member, to whom he credits much of his success. He attended Alabama A&M University, worked for various political campaigns, and eventually became an organizer for Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope, a Milwaukee-based interfaith coalition that advocates social justice.​ He served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving as chair of the legislature’s Black and Latino Caucus and becoming a recognized leader on progressive economic policies and gun-violence prevention legislation.  

In his current role, Lt. Gov. Barnes serves as the chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. He also serves nationally as co-chair of the NewDEAL Climate Change Policy Group, a network of rising state and local elected leaders. The lieutenant governor uses a platform of sustainability and equity to fight for solutions that invest in opportunities and fairness for every child, person, and family in Wisconsin, regardless of zip code.

We hope you will join us in welcoming him on Friday, April 9, at 7:30 pm on Facebook Live.

May 7, 2024 29 Nisan 5784