MADISON, Wis. -- New group the State of Black Madison Coalition said it is out to "change the plight of African Americans in the community," and members warned if that doesn't happen, Madison could see the major problems that plague Beloit and Milwaukee.

VIDEO: Lifelong Madison Resident Helps Other Succeed

The new coalition of black-focused groups, armed with a new report called "The State of Black Madison 2008: Before the Tipping Point," issued a call to action Tuesday to the entire Madison community, WISC-TV reported.

It said Madison is on the precipice of change and if problems of disparity between whites and blacks aren't addressed, the city might, as the one coalition member put it, "plunge into intractable problems that plague most major urban cities."

The reports details the state of blacks in Madison, saying if trends from 1990-2005 continue, it will take 265 years for the income gap between blacks and the rest of the Dane County community to disappear.

"A city should be measured by how close the weakest link is to the strongest link. My friends, in Madison we are football fields apart," said Scott Gray, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison.

The coalition said it wants to reduce racial disparity in six areas: criminal justice, education, economic wellbeing, health, housing and political influence.

"How we do on this issue will determine what kind city we have five years from now, and I know some people don't want to admit it, but the difference between us and Beloit is not that great if we continue down this path -- or (us and) Milwaukee," said Ray Allen, of Madison Times Inc., and the State of Black Madison Coalition.

The report is based on the Center on Wisconsin Strategy and other research.

Among the findings in the State of Black Madison report are that 37 percent of blacks in Dane County live in poverty and 26 percent have no health insurance. The report said that only two in 10 local black families own their own homes.

The report said that blacks in Dane County are incarcerated at more than 13 times the rate of the community at large, and that 40 percent of black students don't make it through high school.

Groups like the Urban League of Greater Madison and 100 Black Men will next take the report to local leaders and hold a community summit, but some black residents said the effort will fail without the participation of ordinary people who've been in the trenches.

"I thank that's what people want to see -- that's the difference. Don't show me the same people. Show me the people who've been through -- who've come out, who've pulled themselves up by the bootstraps, who can really reach back and get somebody else," said the Rev. David Smith, president of the African American Council of Church Inc.

Some said one person who meets that description is LeeAnne Banks. She's a lifelong Madison resident who made it despite obstacles and is now trying to help others do the same.

"It's really just using what you got to get where you're going," Banks said.

Banks has found her path to success and now she's helping others do the same at her job at the Madison Development Corporation.

The 38-year-old single mother hooks up other black residents with the resources they need to start a small business or to find, or keep, housing. She said it's the perfect line of work for her because she too needed help to overcome challenges, including a broken home and an alcoholic brother who spent time in jail.

"My brother is an African-American male who grew up on the south side. We lived in Somerset and Fiedler lane, and back then, there weren't a lot of opportunities. I mean, I did find the Urban League myself, but he did not," Banks said.

The Urban League and other resources helped Banks find work and adopt her brother's two sons: Maxwell, 6, and Malek, 10.

"I'm very happy with how they're doing. They're very smart; they love their music. I'm praying they become community leaders," Banks said.

The adoptions became official Feb. 1, 2006, and are celebrated every year. The entire family does food pantry work to give back to a community that has helped them.

Banks said the services are out there and it's just a matter of finding them.

"There are a lot of services available if you just look for them, but some people get discouraged," Banks said.

Banks, a self-described "resource guru," said that better coordination of community resources and more programs that offer long-term support for things like housing are key to helping more black families succeed.