Through leadership development, policy advocacy, civic education and political engagement, CRGE advances a grassroots vision for racial and gender justice. We run grassroots policy and electoral campaigns, engaging Black voters and building Black women’s leadership to advance legislation and candidates that explicitly support Black women’s liberation. We invest in long-term relationships with communities across Wisconsin and Illinois, to mobilize a powerful electorate behind progressive candidates and policies that authentically reflect our communities’ needs and values.

Electoral: Deep engagement/relationship-building in WI and IL communities of color; Voter education/mobilization leading up to primaries and general elections; Focus on congressional swing districts (IL and WI), WI gubernatorial race, and select state legislature races.
Policy: Launch a Clean Slate campaign to bring automated records relief to Wisconsin; High potential for relationship-building in new communities, which will feed into our electoral work; Continue IL campaigns to expand childcare assistance and generate new revenues for the state.
Education: Continue our virtual series of monthly teach-ins focused on federal policy and actions, including HR1 and Know-Your-Rights/response to ICE activity.

Electoral: Reached 100,000+ voters in Wisconsin before the state Supreme Court Race, educating them about the Supreme Court’s role; Changed the narrative about the race, moving voters from apathy to participation.
Policy: Passed Clean Slate legislation, which automates records sealing/expungement for eligible Illinoisans with old arrest/conviction records, and will improve access to stable housing, jobs, education, etc.; Developed plans to launch a Wisconsin Clean Slate campaign in 2026.
Leadership: Initiated a new 9-week civic-leadership program; graduated the first cohort; Offered monthly trainings on grassroots advocacy and voter mobilization; Launched a new political education series about federal policy/actions.

CRGE will reach low-to-moderate-propensity Black voters in six Wisconsin counties, knocking 70,000+ doors to have deep, issues-focused conversations that promote electoral participation. We’ll supplement our canvassing with texting, phone banking, digital ads, mailers, a robust relational organizing program, and an online hub of voter resources/information.

The mission of the Center for Racial and Gender Equity (CRGE) is to build the power of the Black women most directly impacted by the intersections of violently racialized and gendered capitalism to advance a radical vision for liberation, through leadership development and political engagement.