A ‘Community for All’? Not So Fast, This Wisconsin County Says.

In Wausau, Wis., the county board has debated a resolution aimed at embracing inclusion for nearly a year, with no agreement. Racial tensions that had simmered beneath the surface are now roiling the community.

WAUSAU, Wis. — A standing-room-only crowd packed a drab courthouse meeting room one recent night and tried to resolve a thorny, yearlong debate over whether Marathon County should declare itself “a community for all.” The lone Black member of the county board, Supervisor William Harris, stood up and begged his colleagues who opposed the resolution to change their minds. “I want to feel like I’m a part of this community,’’ he said. “That’s what a lot of our residents are saying. We want to contribute to our community. We want to feel like a part of this community.”