The Wisconsin Memorial Quilts visually show the impact addiction has made on our Wisconsin families, communities and State. I often hear people say these quilts have shattered their perceptions of what someone looks like in the different facets of addiction. The media portrayals of people who are addicted are far from accurate. In reality the faces of addiction are our mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, friends who all had a genetic propensity to addiction and through continued use of illicit drugs became addicted. Addiction is NOT a choice.

 

The Wisconsin Memorial Quilts are living quilts that travel throughout the State of Wisconsin. The red squares represent those who are struggling in active addiction. The gray squares represent those who are incarcerated for their addiction--Wisconsin incarcerates the highest number of African Americans and Native Americans in the world. The white squares represent hope and success in recovery. The black squares tragically represent those who have lost their lives to their addiction...it may not have been their addiction i.e. there are approximately 20 children 4 and under who are on the Quilts who died as a result of negligence/neglect/abuse from a parent or grandparent. There are four police officers who were killed in the line of duty as a result of someone else's addiction.

Anyone can submit a quilt square to be included in the Wisconsin Memorial Quilts. You can create your own 5” x 5” square by following the instructions found on the FB page Wisconsin Faces of Addiction Quilt or if you want an image added of your loved one, I can add one for a small donation of $3. Contact: Bev Kelley-Miller, wifacesofaddiction@gmail.com OR bev@megankelleyfoundation.org. Deadline to submit a quilt square: July 15, 2020.

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The 2019 Wisconsin Faces of Addiction Quilts had 816 people on black squares--this is only a tiny snapshot of what's happening in Wisconsin.