I keep looking at the photos and videos coming out of Wisconsin, dreading the moment I inevitably see someone I love forced to risk their lives in this sham of an election, just so they can exercise one of their most fundamental rights.

Wisconsin has a history of progressive politics: Fightin’ Bob La Follette, labor unions, @theprogressive, Victor L. Berger, consumer protections, @repmarkpocan, education, the list goes on. But Wisconsin also has a history of systemic racism and institutional inequality.

Milwaukee is consistently one of the most segregated cities in the country. There’s a clear divide between Madison’s predominantly wealthier, white neighborhoods and the rest of the city. And don’t even get me started on the shameful treatment of Native Americans.

I’ve watched as, during my lifetime, Wisconsin’s progressive legacy has been methodically dismantled. This is nothing new, but human grease traps such as @SpeakerRyan, @ScottWalker and @SpeakerVos, among others, have been astonishingly unabashed in their destruction.

The systematic disenfranchisement of black and brown voters has been a clear goal for many of these politicians. The closure of poll places, voter ID laws, gerrymandering - they’re are all under the guise of protecting democracy. This is white supremacy in action.

Today wisconsinites are being forced to choose: protect their lives and the lives of their loved ones, or exercise the fundamental right upon which the country is *ostensibly* built.

Everyone who allowed this to happen made the conscious decision to sacrifice the lives of the entire state. But make no mistake: communities of color - black and brown wisconsinites - will feel this the most. That is intentional.

This election is illegitimate. And an untold number of wisconsinites will pay with their lives.