• Madison365
  • Posts
  • BIPOC Network events terminated, Black Oxygen returns and more in our Week in Review

BIPOC Network events terminated, Black Oxygen returns and more in our Week in Review

April 12, 2025

In partnership with

In today’s Week in Review from Madison365:
From fresh Indigenous-inspired food in Green Bay to a beloved podcast making its return, this week’s stories spotlight resilience, creativity, and community leadership across Wisconsin. We cover everything from the fight for educational equity and LGBTQ+ visibility to the latest sports news out of UW. Dig into the headlines that matter.

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

365 Amplified: We can’t even do a lunch

This week, the crew dives deep into the University of Wisconsin’s decision to abruptly cancel monthly BIPOC employee lunches—an initiative that served as a space for connection, networking, and support for people of color on campus. The hosts unpack what this means for employee retention, equity efforts, and the larger implications of anticipatory compliance in response to federal and state pressures. Plus: Black Oxygen is back! Rob chats with host Angela Russell about the show’s origins, upcoming season focused on Black women, and the unique power of podcasting to create space for authentic Black voices. Listen here or search 365 Amplified on your favorite podcast app!

Award-winning podcast “Black Oxygen” returns to Madison365 Monday

Madison365 is proud to announce the return of the award-winning podcast Black Oxygen, hosted by Angela Russell, on Monday, April 14.

Launched in 2020, Black Oxygen has become a vital platform amplifying the voices and experiences of Black Wisconsinites. After a hiatus, the podcast is returning to its roots at Madison365 — and Russell says it feels just right. Learn more here.

UW terminates BIPOC Network gatherings “in response to collective fiscal and federal uncertainty”

The University of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources (OHR) will no longer host gatherings and events intended to aid retention of people of color on staff and faculty through community building, according to an email obtained by Madison365. Read the full story here.

Black- and trans-owned Baldwin’s Books & Records “a small piece of the resistance pie”

If there’s a book sale in town, you can count on Lily Someson and Micah Robinson to be browsing through the stacks. The duo are on a mission to rescue donated queer and BIPOC literature and give them a second life.

Someson and Robinson are the owners of Baldwin’s Books & Records, a new Black- and trans-owned Madison pop-up bookstore that sells used books and records by queer and BIPOC authors and artists. All of BB&R’s items are priced at $15 or less, allowing people to “have a book forever” without “breaking the bank.” Read the story here.

“Seed to table:” New cafe in Green Bay offers fast and fresh Indigenous-inspired cuisine

Apache Danforth and Jamie Betters, both members of the Oneida Nation, opened Off the Trail, a brunch & lunch cafe with an Indigenous-inspired menu in Green Bay today, just in time for the NFL draft coming later this month. Robert Chappell has the story here.

Percy Brown Jr. debut book “Strength Through Generations” highlights his family’s lifetime fight for equality

Percy Brown, a nationally recognized educator with over 20 years of experience in K-12 and higher education with a background in history, political science, and educational leadership, recently debuted his first book “Strength Through Generations: A Black American Family’s Fight for Equality Through Faith, Love, and Education Paperback.” Launched in March, the 172-page book takes the reader on an in-depth journey to understanding the history of race and its evolution to shape the current cultural climate in the United States. Read more here.

Literacy Network notified that funding from federal grant for its citizen program has been terminated

The Literacy Network has received notice that funding via a federal grant for its citizenship program has been terminated. Omar Waheed reports here.

And in other news …

Keep up with the news by following us on BlueSky , Facebook , Instagram  and Twitter, and watch Madison365.org  for the latest news every day.