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Storytellers & Video Archive

Through the power of story, A Better Wisconsin Together is committed to supporting our diverse communities, uplifting shared values, giving voice to the issues, and empowering hardworking Wisconsin families. It is your voice that matters most; your voice has the power to build a better Wisconsin, together.

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Image related to Republicans Cut Social Security Benefits For Over 60 Million Americans
Image related to Republicans Cut Social Security Benefits For Over 60 Million Americans

Republicans Cut Social Security Benefits For Over 60 Million Americans

August 14, 2025 marks the 90th anniversary of the Social Security program, but thanks to Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress many Americans will not see the benefits they have worked so hard for.

Image related to Sharon On Donald Trump Cuts To Medicaid
Image related to Sharon On Donald Trump Cuts To Medicaid

Sharon On Donald Trump Cuts To Medicaid

Sharon from Kewaunee, WI shares how Donald Trump's proposed cuts to medicaid could impact families if Republicans in Wisconsin's state Legislature don't take measures to protect Wisconsinites.

Every piece counts puzzle.
Every piece counts puzzle.

A Better Wisconsin Together's 2024 End of Year Message

If November left you in pieces, you’re not alone. But we’re not giving up. We another chance to come together in the new year. Every piece counts, and we’re deeply thankful for the part you play. Thank you for joining us – this year, and every year. – A Better Wisconsin Together

Screenshot from the video Creating Clean Energy Jobs in Wisconsin
Screenshot from the video Creating Clean Energy Jobs in Wisconsin

Creating Clean Energy Jobs in Wisconsin

The gift of the Inflation Reduction Act was really giving us certainty for the next 10 years. I’m Maria, and Michael Drews and I own Drew Solar, a residential solar company based in Madison, Wisconsin. This is a small family-owned company. It’s just Michael and I running Drew Solar together, and we have a team […]

Screenshot from the video Support
Screenshot from the video Support

Support

School is the main source of community for the majority of students. They might be involved in school sports, clubs, specific classes that they love, maybe they’re finding their mentors their best friends their supportive people. The world can be an unsafe place for a lot of people and we don’t want school to be […]

Image related to Parental Leave
Image related to Parental Leave

Parental Leave

With both of my kids, I had a little bit of sick time, and I took a lot of unpaid leave just to take a few months off with them. That’s a financial hit for sure, but you know, moms just need that time to recover physically, um, from birth and kind of transition into […]

Screenshot from the video Shortage
Screenshot from the video Shortage

Shortage

The biggest way that I see a lack of funding and a lack of support for education impacting my students is the teacher shortage and high teacher turnover. Teaching is a high-stress job I would say. Many teachers are leaving the field, therefore we’re constantly hiring new teachers, or hiring emergency certification teachers. We also […]

Screenshot from the video Biggest Expense
Screenshot from the video Biggest Expense

Biggest Expense

It’s the biggest single expense that we have. We pay more for child care than we pay for housing. We’ve got two kids that are in childcare right now. I have a two and a four-year-old. It has been increasing. Our rates went up recently, and I’m told that they’ll go up again early next […]

Image related to The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Image related to The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

As a physician, and as a woman, and as a mother, and just a human being, I am terrified that politicians have inserted themselves into the decision of abortion. And it’s only the beginning. When we start taking away this bit of autonomy, we’re just chipping at the reproductive rights of women and all of […]

Screenshot from the video Happy New Year from A Better Wisconsin Together
Screenshot from the video Happy New Year from A Better Wisconsin Together

Happy New Year From A Better Wisconsin Together

In 2023, we voted, challenged unconstitutional maps, protected our reproductive freedom and fought against hate, demanded our vote be respected, and stood with Wisconsin’s workers, parents, and teachers. At A Better Wisconsin Together, we grew our team, worked hard to uncover information Wisconsinites need to know, uplifted the voices of our communities, and shared it […]

Image related to Mental Health Programming in Schools
Image related to Mental Health Programming in Schools

Mental Health Programming in Schools

Why are mental health programs in school so important? I teach at the high schools, and I see a lot of our students are disengaged, and that’s because of their mental health. I think especially, we’ve all just come out of the pandemic, and we’ve seen that schools really stepped up, um, but it’s not […]

Image related to Our Friends, Our Family, Our Neighbors – Part 2
Image related to Our Friends, Our Family, Our Neighbors – Part 2

Our Friends, Our Family, Our Neighbors – Part 2

I’m Dr. Melissa Hidde. I am a family medicine doctor, and I do full scope Family Medicine. So that means I see patients of all ages. I still deliver babies. I take care of moms and babies in the hospital. There’s a lot of misunderstanding between the concepts of gender and the concepts of sexuality. […]

Image related to Our Friends, Our Family, Our Neighbors – Part 1
Image related to Our Friends, Our Family, Our Neighbors – Part 1

Our Friends, Our Family, Our Neighbors – Part 1

In this multi-part series, we sit down with leaders from Wisconsin’s trans community and its allies to discuss the rise in anti-trans legislation, the realities of gender-affirming care, and the importance of fighting for the freedom to live authentically—whether we are trans or not. — As a veteran, I put on that uniform for the […]

Image related to Keep Politics Out Of Medicine
Image related to Keep Politics Out Of Medicine

Keep Politics Out Of Medicine

All the major medical organizations support gender affirming care, support patient-doctor relationships, and support keeping politics out of medicine. We have lots of data showing that we can do this safely. We have study after study after study showing that gender affirming care, in particular, can improve mental health. Yet, we’re being told the opposite […]

Image related to Milwaukee GOP Debate Response
Image related to Milwaukee GOP Debate Response

Milwaukee GOP Debate Response

We have workers in Racine in La Crosse, workers from Monroe to Appleton, across the state. No matter where we are, we are demanding that every person, no matter their race, identity, or zip code, have a voice on the job and in our democracy. Laborers, police officers, firefighters, educators, nurses, Peters, airline workers, custodians, […]

Image related to Just A Label
Image related to Just A Label

Just A Label

LGBTQ individuals, trans individuals, are our siblings, our parents, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors. As a veteran, I put on that uniform for the right of everyone; I didn’t pick and choose, it was for everyone. I’m a sister, I’m a mom, I’m a daughter, I’m a UW-Madison graduate. I identify just as proudly […]

Image related to Not Fine
Image related to Not Fine

Not Fine

When a patient becomes pregnant, their risks for catastrophic or life-changing events increase dramatically just from taking that pregnancy test and having a positive test. In that moment, your risk of a blood clot increases compared to somebody who is not pregnant. They are at risk for diabetes in pregnancy, and if they get diabetes […]

Image related to Bigger Than Roe
Image related to Bigger Than Roe

Bigger Than Roe

What brings you to the march today, and why do you think this is so important? It’s really kind of painful for me to think about this. I worked in a clinic in ’73, ’74, ’75, and ’76, and it’s just horrifying to think that those clinics cannot provide not just the procedure itself when […]

Image related to We Resolve
Image related to We Resolve

We Resolve

In 2022, we came together to stand with one another. We fought to defend our freedoms, protect our future, and work toward building a better world. In this new year, we resolve to join with our friends and neighbors, as we create a Wisconsin where we can all thrive and prosper, feel safe and welcome. […]

Image related to Together
Image related to Together

Together

We’ve acted together, we’ve proven we can do many things that seemed impossible at first. Together, we’ve created a strong public school system, we have expanded the right to vote. And together, we can do so much more. Together, we can protect our freedoms. Equity and prosperity for everyone. We can protect our environment for […]

Image related to Get Out The Vote
Image related to Get Out The Vote

Get Out The Vote

I think collectively, if we all—like if every single person that could vote did vote—not everybody is going to vote for the same thing, but it does unify our communities. To a loved one that isn’t sure about voting or doesn’t know why it’s important, I would tell them that our ancestors, you know, far […]

Image related to Election Hero
Image related to Election Hero

Election Hero

I’ve been a poll worker for about seven to eight years. I think it’s really patriotic to do because our system of democracy is very important, and everyone should have the ability to go in and cast their vote and feel that it’s a safe place for them to go and feel welcomed. Myself and […]

Image related to Sacred Duty
Image related to Sacred Duty

Sacred Duty

Hi I’m Betsy and I’m a retired school social worker after about 27 years of doing that. I’m the mother of one and they are in their 20s now so I spend a lot of my time in my garden and hiking the state in different locations just enjoying Wisconsin. Being a poll worker has […]

Image related to Funding Our Schools
Image related to Funding Our Schools

Funding Our Schools

I’ve been a teacher for 23 years in the public school system in Wisconsin. I teach high school English, and I love the opportunity to teach teenagers how to find their own voices through writing. I think public schools have a huge impact on our community. Helping students learn and grow and become productive citizens […]

Image related to Devastating
Image related to Devastating

Devastating

As an educator who started teaching right after Columbine and has now lived through Sandy Hook, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and then the Uvalde shooting, it is devastating. Having gone through active shooter training and having barricaded a room with a group of students, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. The trauma of […]

Image related to Right-Wing Politicians Vote Against the Environment
Image related to Right-Wing Politicians Vote Against the Environment

Right-Wing Politicians Vote Against the Environment

Right-wing politicians in Wisconsin voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest ever national investment in climate change. That means they voted against a nearly four billion dollar investment in creating new job opportunities in Wisconsin’s clean energy industry, against generous rebates that make it affordable for Wisconsin families to purchase energy-efficient appliances, make home […]

Image related to Your Vote Matters. Your Voice Matters.
Image related to Your Vote Matters. Your Voice Matters.

Your Vote Matters. Your Voice Matters.

Do you have a plan to get out to vote for the primary in August? I do. Yes. Yes! I have asked for my ballot by mail. I do plan to vote in the primary. My plan is to vote day of. I have voted already. I voted yesterday. Why do you think it’s important […]

Image related to What is the Department of Public Instruction?
Image related to What is the Department of Public Instruction?

What is the Department of Public Instruction?

To me, the Department of Public Instruction is really the organization that helps make sure students are college and career ready. They’re the state agency that’s looking to set standards and help promote the education for students. And they also administer the library system, teacher licensing, food, helping students reach their academic goals. To me, […]

Image related to A Wisconsin Nurse Pleads for More Help
Image related to A Wisconsin Nurse Pleads for More Help

A Wisconsin Nurse Pleads for More Help

Our beds are filling up. These people are alone in the hospital. The sickest of the sick are seeing for a very long time. Numbers in Wisconsin are increasing every single day. We’re setting records. Green Bay is almost at capacity in their ICUs, and I don’t think that we’re going to be far behind […]

Image related to A Fight To Survive
Image related to A Fight To Survive

A Fight To Survive

I sometimes get caught in this place where I’m thinking about what this year was supposed to be like. It’s pretty depressing. It’s frustrating because it feels like a lot of the burden of COVID has fallen on the backs of small business operators. Way back in March, at the federal level, we needed an […]

Image related to #VOTERSDECIDED
Image related to #VOTERSDECIDED

#VOTERSDECIDED

For those of us who believe in the democratic process, for those of us who want more people to turn out, who want as much activism in this country as possible, even if we disagree on some things, for everyone who is a working-class American, for everyone who cares about lifting up marginalized communities, this […]

Image related to Balancing Home Life and Back-to-School During COVID
Image related to Balancing Home Life and Back-to-School During COVID

Balancing Home Life and Back-to-School During COVID

I’m Lindsay and I’m a special education paraprofessional at a middle school in Wisconsin. Two weeks in we started with actual students in class then adding in the in-person students was much more difficult. At home while I’m at school, it’s a process. We’re learning. There’s so much trouble with the bandwidth in our area […]