The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is facing criticism over a taxpayer-funded event called the “BIPOC-Centered Library Staff Unconference,” set for May 20, 2025, at Olbrich Gardens in Madison. 

Promoted as a free, all-day professional development gathering for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) working in Wisconsin’s public libraries, the event has come under fire for its race-specific focus and selective audience.

Funded partly by a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and organized through the Wisconsin Libraries IDEA Project, the event is designed to “center and uplift the experiences of BIPOC library workers.” 

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Planned sessions include topics on tribal and Indigenous libraries, workplace culture, BIPOC mental health, and building a statewide support network for BIPOC library staff, according to True North News.

Critics argue the event violates federal civil rights law. While DPI later claimed the event is open to all, no such clarification appears in promotional materials or on the registration page, which asks registrants to disclose their race. The program explicitly frames participation around shared racial experiences.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title VI complaint with IMLS, asserting that the event discriminates based on race—a potential violation of federal law, especially in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision.

“This is not inclusion—it’s exclusion under the guise of equity,” said Cory Brewer, Education Counsel at WILL. “Taxpayer-funded programs must serve all citizens equally, not divide them by race.”

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WILL’s complaint also cites a pattern of race-exclusive programming within DPI’s “Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race” initiative. That program uses public resources to fund affinity-based training sessions, which WILL argues perpetuate racial division rather than unity.

The complaint comes as DPI faces increased scrutiny for its failure to certify compliance with federal civil rights standards—a requirement tied to federal education funding. With mounting legal and political pressure, DPI’s approach to race-based programming is likely to draw further investigation from federal agencies under Title VI and recent executive orders aimed at eliminating discriminatory practices in public institutions.