MADISON, WI (October 27, 2015) — Alex Gee, pastor of Fountain of Life Covenant Church and founder of Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership, has been named one of the 28 most influential African Americans in Wisconsin by On Milwaukee, a daily online magazine.

Alex Gee photo by Barry Sherbeck

Gee wrote a 3,000-word essay in the Capital Times on racial disparity that generated an overwhelming response when it appeared in December 2013 and led to the formation of the “Justified Anger” movement to bridge racial disparity in Madison, Wisconsin. Gee wrote the essay after the 2013 Race to Equity report showed Madison’s racial disparities to be the worst in the nation.

He did not anticipate how his essay would bring together civic leaders and others to pursue a solution. On Milwaukee included Gee in its list because the Justified Anger Coalition that was subsequently formed is helping drive racial reconciliation work in the city.

“The Justified Anger Coalition released ‘Our Madison Plan’ in May, which includes a wide range of goals and plans to address disparities across the board,” the magazine noted. “The plan also laid out a budget of nearly $1.6 million for the first two years. With backing from a number of major corporate and foundation sponsors, Rev. Gee is pushing Madison to take a good, long look at itself—whether or not we like what we see.”

In a 2014 Companion interview, Gee discussed the original essays and his hopes for the future.