Caffeinated Politics

Recently, Dane County residents learned that it has committed a $1.5 million investment toward the new MTZ Family Life Center, spearheaded by the MTZ Charitable Organization associated with Mt. Zion Baptist Church in South Madison. The project recently broke ground this month as part of an $8.8 million capital campaign to expand vital community services.

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway called the MTZ Family Life Center another part of the “Renaissance here in South Madison.” She added that the sweeping revitalization and investment in the South Side is a long-overdue renaissance.

“I think one of the most powerful things about this project, this amazing Family Life Center that’s going to be right where we are right now, is the message that it sends to our young people because this building, this new building is saying to our young people that Madison believes in them, and that we are collectively investing in them,” Rhodes-Conway said. “There’s a lot of nice new buildings around here, and it’s not the buildings that are nice. It’s what’s happening inside of them.” 

The mayor also announced that the City of Madison will give MTZ Family Center a community facilities funding grant.

This is but the latest major investment that has spurred programming options for the Black community in Madison.

The Black Business Hub is a four-story, roughly 81,000-square-foot center located at 2352 Park Street. Run by the Urban League of Greater Madison, it functions as an incubator and accelerator designed to help Black and other BIPOC entrepreneurs start, fund, and expand their businesses.

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison is a 37,000-square-foot Afrocentric community facility located at W. Badger Road on the city’s south side. Founded by the Rev. Dr. Alex Gee and opened on May 6, 2026, the $38 million project serves as a cultural home, economic hub, and gathering space for the Black community.

When the Zion project is completed, the new facility will replace Mt. Zion’s historic wing that faces Fisher Street. That space has held numerous programs, including its Transforming and Reaching Our Youth program, support for young adults aging out of youth services, an academic learning center, career services, mental health services in partnership with Anesis Family Therapy, family stabilization services workshops, a food pantry housed in the home to the right of the old building, and a collaborative space for organizations.

It is much harder for anyone in our community to claim the system does not work or leaves people without hope. The level of credible, concerned people in the Black community and the larger Madison community is without doubt. Many angry voices in our community have suggested that Madison is not a good place to live if one is Black or a person of color. While fighting for a better society in so many regards is a constant goal, let us not lose sight of the reality of what is happening to create solid citizens, good jobs, and purposeful lives.