On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow is joined by four accomplished Black women who are or have been in public office and who serve in organizations at the executive level. Brandi Grayson, April Kigeya, Sabrina Madison, and Dana Pellebon are local leaders who bring years of expertise and care to their work. However, they face an inordinate amount of scrutiny in their professional and personal lives. 

Muldrow starts the show by reminding listeners of the words of Ida B. Wells, the investigative journalist and a founder of the NAACP, who said that the most dangerous thing a Black woman in America can be is successful. Today’s guests discuss the blowback they’ve received for their successes and how white supremacy is the common denominator driving the myriad ways they’ve been undermined over the years. 

They describe instances of not being treated with equal deference by the press, of being verbally attacked at public meetings and having no one stand up for them, of being harassed in their workplaces, of receiving death threats and more, all within a city that seems to pride itself on its so-called progressivism. Yet each stays at their work because uplifting Black women matters. 

Brandi Grayson is the Founder, CEO, and President of Urban Triage, an organization that empowers Black families to excel and believe in their ability to make a difference in their lives, their families and communities with hope, education, and action. She also owns her own business, Grayson Consulting, LLC.

April Kigeya is a Dane County Supervisor who also holds multiple positions in the community as a Recruiter for Exact Sciences and as a Special Projects Manager for the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness. 

Sabrina Madison is a Madison Alder and a recognized leader in civic engagement, economic development, and community empowerment. She is also the CEO of The Progress Center for Black Women.

Dana Pellebon is a community activist who has been working against oppression in all forms for her adult life. She is the Executive Director of RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center in Dane County. 

Featured image of April Kigeya, Sabrina Madison, Ali Muldrow, and Brandi Grayson (Dana Pellebon, not pictured). 

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