Q&A with Scott Gray
Scott Gray
by Nathan J. Comp
It’s a big year for the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM). First, there are a number of celebratory activities surrounding the group’s 40th year in Madison. The ULGM will also break ground on a new 36,000 square foot multiuse facility on Madison’s south side. The building will also house a city library and a health-care center.
But perhaps the ULGM’s biggest news is the report it has been helping prepare for release later this year. The report details the challenges minorities face in Madison, which of course is the ULGM’s focus.
Scott Gray, president of the Urban League of Greater Madison since 2005, says the report, which the ULGM is putting together in conjunction with other agencies, will provide not only myriad data, but also recommendations on how to uplift the lives of many.
Gray recently spoke with The Madison Times about affirmative action in colleges, the racial undertones of crime, and whether Blacks are unfairly targeted by law enforcement.
TMT: It seems like businesses all over are trying to recruit African American workers, yet the number of American Americans living below the poverty line really isn’t decreasing. Are business leaders doing enough to reach out to minority workers?
SG: I don’t think we’re doing what we can to recruit African Americans or to retain African Americans in this community. I don’t think we’ve done as well as we could in doing that.
There are a lot of African Americans who are struggling to find jobs here in Madison. We have been working diligently to creating avenues for African Americans to go to work, but it is a real challenge. We need more companies participating. Until more companies participate, we’re going to continue to find folks living below the poverty level.
TMT: Nearing the end of a 10-year affirmative action program at the University of Wisconsin called Plan 2008, enrollment of students of color remains at less than 10 percent. Are opponents wrong to think affirmative action doesn’t work?
SG: Obviously it isn’t working, if the enrollment is below 10 percent. We need to start encouraging African American kids early on, in middle school, that college shouldn’t just be a dream, but a priority. Whether we have affirmative action or need, we should still be telling kids that college is a priority.
The University of Wisconsin is not the only college challenged with enrollment numbers for African Americans. They’re dealing with it just like everyone else. We’ve got to figure out a way to make the connections from high school to college in just about every community around the country a lot more fluid. [We need] a lot more communication, a lot more strategies that help African Americans make that transition.
TMT: A lot of people last fall felt there were racial undertones in discussion about crime in Madison, with references to “people from Chicago.” Do you sense that in Madison people think crime equals Black people?
SG: Poverty is a symptom of crime, and whether you’re Black or White, [if you’re poor] you may be more receptive to commit[ting] a crime. I don’t think that necessarily just because you’re Black that there is a higher risk of crime.
There certainly were some racial undertones in this community, but I think folks need to really look at what the larger picture is: that we need to be able to focus our efforts on finding folks jobs and opportunities in this community. Then crime will go down in our community as a whole, whether people are Back or White.
TMT: In December, it was reported that Dane County locks up 97 African American drug offenders for each White one, even though drug usage rates are similar for both groups. Do you think that disparity is a circumstance of the Black condition or a result of African Americans being given special attention?
SG: I’m assuming [that] a lot of those African Americans they lock up probably don’t have the wherewithal to hire attorneys or legal services that would help them in their efforts to not be incarcerated. Again, the disparity comes when you match up someone who might have a drug crime that might be White, versus someone who is Black. That White individual probably has access to a paid attorney that can help them navigate through the system and get, maybe, a reduced penalty.
TMT: What do you anticipate the Urban League’s report later this year will tell us?
SG: I’m anticipating we’ll find that the gaps are continuing to get wider as it relates to income, home ownership, employment. We’ll continue to see those wide disparities. However, the report is not designed to show just how bad it is. The report is to bring these disparities to folks’ attention, so we can work on solutions and strategies to even the playing field for everybody.
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