Darrin Madison Jr. was born and raised in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At a young age, he was introduced to activism through the "Young Scientist" program at Milwaukee's
Urban Ecology Center. At age 14, he participated in the mass protests against
2011 Wisconsin Act 10—the Budget Repair Bill which abolished collective bargaining rights for public employees. Later that year, he joined Urban Underground, a youth-led social justice organization in Milwaukee. Through his teenage years, he worked on social justice campaigns fighting for youth jobs, education, public safety, sexual health, and
environmental justice. He graduated from
Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School in 2015 and went on to study at
Howard University. While in
Washington, D.C., he worked on political campaigns in Maryland, D.C., and Alaska. After attending Howard, Madison returned to Milwaukee as an
AmeriCorps Public Allies volunteer, returning to the Urban Ecology Center and working with Milwaukee's Environmental Collaboration Office. ==Political career==