Community Gathering Space
Our Spot is a solution to oppressive norms, values, and expectations that informally govern Platteville, WI.
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A place for Us to come and exist fully.
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Us Black. Us Indigenous. Us Brown. Us barely scraping by.
Us systems-involved. Us surviving poverty.
Us living under Community supervision, surveillance, & control.
Us LGBTQIA+. Us unhoused. Us Weirdos. Us survivors.
Us seeking liberation.*
Us.
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To hang, learn and grow.
PRACTICE
AREAS
Educational Advocacy
Providing diverse needs to assist in minoritized student successes from kindergarten through grad school.
Workforce Development
Learn about future planning, resume-building, and career development in a safe space.
Family Group Conference
An FGC is a family group decision-making model that can be modified to mediate intrafamilial conflict
Mutual Aid
The Black Platteville Community Fund Supports the needs of Black children and families.
Crisis Management
Work with a Master Social Worker to locate and apply for resources, and advocate for provision.
Justice Advocacy
Mediate interactions between minoritized populations and the police, courts, and broader Criminal Justice system
OUR VISION
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To build a more connected, more liberated city.
The United States can be a racially hostile environment but Platteville holds the promise of stability for minoritized people. Whether it's the community's support around racial justice or gender equality, or the institutions rich with resources, you can not deny there is something special about Platteville. Nevertheless, there are long-standing undiscussed issues
Even with all that promise, Platteville is a racially hostile environment for many and there are a multitude of headlines chronicling the racist experiences of the larger Black community regardless of whether they are students, city staff, or permanent residents, as evident in local headlines. Additionally, over 90% of the roughly 350 Black people in Platteville are below the poverty line; comparatively, only about 20% of the roughly 11,000 white people are below the poverty line. The city of Platteville has proclaimed its dedication to anti-racism, but no programs have been developed targeting the economic development and holistic wellness of Black people in Platteville. Even more dauntingly, there are only three Black-owned businesses in the entire city.
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The racial events and lack of opportunity for Black people are because of the way systems are structured. People are not “minorities,” they are minoritized, and the world is normed. If the majority rules, then the minoritized are the 8.9% of the population that is not white, the 30.6% of the population with income below poverty thresholds, the 6.9% disabled, the LGBTQIA+, and especially those who occupy more than one of those social locations. We are often forgotten and made to feel uncomfortable in spaces that are not considerate of how we present to the world.
Our Spot is but one part of a bimodal intervention to toxic oppressive environments. We provide a space for US minoritized communities of Platteville to come to Be Fully Human. The second node of the intervention is Subversive Social Work. This Institutional Social Work Practice assists people in getting their needs met within unaccommodating institutions and providing Organizational Development solutions. Our Spot houses Subversive Social Work, Black Platteville Community Network, and more.
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We all win when we all thrive. But, if one of us is suffering, we are all vulnerable.
Our Advocates
Sakara Wages
Executive Director & Advocate
Jeremy Payne
Director of Communications
& Educational Advocacy
Michael Allbee
Children and Family Services, Disability, Crisis Advocate
Carla Wages
Family and Student Services Advocate
CONTACT US
OUR ADDRESS
For any general inquiries, please fill in the following contact form:
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