Many media outlets have ranked Madison as a top community “in which to live, work, play, and raise a family.” The city’s convention and visitor’s bureau mentions many of these lists on its web site.

But the city isn’t such a great place for its black residents. In fact, in many ways, it is one of the worst.

Madison is home to the flagship University of Wisconsin campus, consistently ranked one of the best in the country.  Its alma mater includes a long list of CEOs, celebrities and experts in many fields. The city also boasts one of the nation’s highest racial achievement and education gaps. Only 48 percent of black students graduated from Madison public high schools, compared to 87 percent of white students. Nearly 39 percent of all black middle school boys in the Madison Metropolitan School District are enrolled in special education.

The 2012 U.S. Census put Madison’s average household income at around $80,000 a year, yet by almost double, Madison topped the state average in residents with incomes below poverty level. Despite enjoying relative wealth, the city’s poverty rate continues to climb. The brunt of poverty disproportionally affects Madison’s black residents.  The national wealth gap mirrors our local economic condition.  White Americans have 22 times more wealth than black Americans.  The average net worth for a white family is $110,729 compared to $4,995 for black families.

Madison is commonly described as a “liberal” or “progressive” city.  Liberalism is defined as a political philosophy founded on the principles of justice, equality and liberty. The Justice Policy Institute discovered that black residents of Dane County are 97 times more likely to be incarcerated for a drug crime then a white resident, the worst in the nation. How could a “progressive” city unfairly incarcerate blacks at a higher rate than any other city in the country?

Former Gov. Doyle has two adopted black sons, so it’s no surprise that he initiated the effort to hold the city accountable by creating a commission to reduce racial disparity in criminal justice. The commission found that black people in Dane County are 25 times more likely to be incarcerated overall than a white resident. They also found, in Madison, almost half (47 percent) of all black men from the age of 25-29 were in prison, jail or on some form of supervision.

Some people may be shocked by the facts and statistics that Madison has become infamous for.  None of them will be black and living in Madison, we live in its harsh realities every day.  After Doyle left office his successor Scott Walker ended the efforts to stop race disparity in criminal justice.  Madison has mastered the art of insidious racism, but it can’t hide the factual and statistical byproduct of its true nature.