Recognizing the Center for Black Excellence and Culture of Madison

Floor Speech

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Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise to recognize the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, which will break ground in Madison this year on Juneteenth National Independence Day. I wish also to acknowledge the many community leaders who have worked tirelessly to make the Center a reality.

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture was founded by Reverend Doctor Alex Gee who has been a fierce advocate for Madison's African- American community for more than 30 years. The Center will unite and uplift Madison's African-American community by providing a space for entrepreneurial exploration, cultural engagement, and celebration.

Rev. Dr. Gee and his board of directors have joined with other community leaders to raise over $28 million for the project. Now that they have reached their goal, they will begin construction on June 19, 2024. The decision to break ground on Juneteenth was an intentional and powerful one.

The new Black inspired and designed building will sit on 3.5 acres of land and will include many commercial spaces, including an art gallery and theatre space. Rev. Dr. Gee has convened a powerhouse team of Black leaders and hundreds of diverse Black voices to shape the Center. These leaders will support thousands of students through mentorship and professional development and teach students about African-American history and culture to inspire and advance the Black community in Madison and beyond.

The Center will also include a space dedicated to Rev. Dr. Gee's mother, Ms. Verline Gee, who served the Madison community for decades as a mentor, poet, social worker, and faith leader. Ms. Gee's story is one of strength and perseverance. She was born in Mississippi and worked alongside her parents as a migrant farmer in her youth. As a child she moved to the Midwest eventually making her way to Madison. Throughout her life, Ms. Gee was always passionate about education. She was one of the inaugural students to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Black Studies Program. The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will honor the memory of Ms. Gee and all other African-American community members who have contributed so much to Madison.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, but it also serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to dismantle deep-rooted systems of racial injustice. While strides have been made, the African-American community continues to face significant systemic injustices. Across Wisconsin, African-American families are five times more likely than White families to experience poverty and 61 percent of all African-American households in Dane County live near or below the poverty line. The presence of these injustices makes the Center for Black Excellence all the more critical.

True freedom requires liberty and equity for all. The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will contribute to this mission and serve as a model for other cities to follow.

As the Center for Black Excellence breaks ground this Juneteenth, I honor the accomplishments of Rev. Dr. Gee, the Center's board of directors, the memory of Ms. Verline Gee and all the community leaders, past and present, who made the Center a reality.

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