Few things were highlighted more throughout 2020 than interconnection and the need to shift when something is broken. We were shown on a global scale that it is in the interconnectedness of people, of issues, and of support systems that we may find not only the source of our struggles, but also the solutions. To see how the coalition responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, view our 2019-20 Annual Report here.

Legislative advocacy is a unique and essential way we work to ensure the public policy landscape in WI is one that centers survivors and member programs across the state. This two-year agenda summarizes our advocacy stance on priorities like housing and homelessness, economic justice, the criminal legal system, prevention, transformative justice, racial equity, and dismantling white supremacy.

In the wake of recent violent acts against Black and Brown bodies, families, and communities, we recognize this horrendous displays of white supremacy and systemic racism. We say again – resoundingly, unequivocally, and until lives are no longer violently ended by systemic white supremacist violence – Black Lives Matter.

As we witness nationwide, violent attacks on Asian and Asian American individuals, we recognize the pain of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and condemn continued patterns of racist violence.

In the fall of 2020, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and its initiatives, The Asha Project, Inc. and the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), were awarded grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime to address the service needs of older victims of abuse and financial exploitation in Milwaukee, WI.

We are saddened to share the news that our friend and former colleague, Linda Dawson, passed on March 14, 2021. Linda was a lifelong social justice activist who dedicated herself to the service of others. We join Linda’s family and loved ones in mourning and extend our heartfelt condolences to them.

The latest edition of Transformative, our quarterly newsletter for advocates & multi-disciplinary teams, is released for Spring 2021! With dedicated sections including Local Voices, Policy Spotlights, and Practices for Healing and Accountability, Systems Change Coordinator Tegan Swanson provides tools to foster change, accountability, and healing in our personal and professional communities.

On March 2, we were reminded of the far-reaching support we receive from those who support our work to end domestic abuse by addressing root causes of violence. We hold deep gratitude for all who contributed to End Abuse during the Big Share 2021! Thank you for donating and sharing our work with others to help raise awareness about survivors' experiences in Wisconsin.

End Abuse denounces both of these acts for what they are: attacks from a system rooted in white supremacy against those it has pushed to the margins, Black people, Indigenous people, Immigrants, and People of Color. In this new year, which in its first weeks has already borne witness to continued violence and new possibility, our work continues. #BlackLivesMatter

This issue of the Coalition Chronicles is a short and sweet collection of self- and community-care offerings. At the end of a terribly challenging year, in which we grappled with injustice and violence, experienced daily anxiety and grieved losses great and small, let us collectively pause and breathe together. We hope that you will find something here to nourish and inspire you.