A deeper dive into racism in Wisconsin

GREEN BAY (WLUK) -- Governor Tony Evers took time to address George Floyd's killing at Thursday’s COVID-19 update.

"Over the past few days we have been grieving as another black life was extinguished before our eyes," he said in his opening remarks.

But more than talks of a heavy heart, Evers dove deeper into what he thinks racism looks like in Wisconsin.

"Racism has never really gone away," he said. "It has only manifested itself in different ways from incarceration rates to health outcome disparities, the wage gap to housing, to transportation and in education inequity."

The governor proposed Medicaid expansion and policing reforms as good first step towards improving the lives of all Wisconsinites.

Black Americans experience disparities right here at home and across the country.

So, what can you do about it?

CEO of Green Bay’s YWCA, Renita Robinson, says it starts with education.

"We had a beautiful event, a virtual town hall and we got calls and emails and we got text messages and posts that basically said ’thank you so much, I had no idea,’" said Robinson.

The non-profit organization creates safe spaces like Wednesday’s virtual town hall to get people talking.

But just because there’s a conversation, doesn’t mean everyone is on the same page.

We also talked about the focus on Black Americans, rather than people of color as a whole.

"We aren’t the only ones experiencing racism, this is further than just Black Americans. Why focus on Black Americans right now?" FOX 11's Kia Murray asked.

"The racism against Black Americans, it looks very different than the racism that happens to other people of color," Robinson answered.

It's why she has this advice for people who want to help:

"We live one click away from anything you have a desire to know about," Robinson said. "If people really want to be honest about why it’s different or what it’s like to be a black person in a community like Green Bay or a state like Wisconsin they need to educate themselves."