Institutional Racism, the New Norm for Milwaukee
In 1968 while a graduate student at Marquette University I became aware of the meaning of words, ‘institutional racism’, “the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in our society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color.” While Marquette University claimed to be open to students of all racial backgrounds only about 33 of 11,611 students at Marquette were Black.
When I heard that the Milwaukee Metro area in the last two censuses was the most racially segregated city in the USA and the worst place to raise Black children I looked into the why and causes of these negative rankings of Milwaukee. A few years ago, I lobbied for an Affordable Housing Ordinance like the other top ten segregated cities have adopted. I was naïve to believe that if city officials and people saw the facts they would be motivated into doing something about the causes of this institutional racism in Milwaukee. Now reading an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel I realized how Institutional Racism has just become the norm for Milwaukee.
The introduction to the interview states: “From the opening of the Fiserv Forum to the Milwaukee Streetcar, 2018 was a year of major changes for downtown Milwaukee. But 2019 may prove to be even more transformative for the central city.” By central city, it means downtown Milwaukee or what I called the developing white Milwaukee within Milwaukee. The developments were: The Avenue, formerly Grand Avenue Mall: The Symphony Center, formerly Warner Grand Theater complex: BMO bank Tower: The Couture building on the Lakefront: The Harbor District development.
These developments, like the downtown trolley and Firsrv Forum, partially subsidized by the City of Milwaukee, are great for the new white Milwaukee city but what are they doing for the large segregated Black and Hispanic parts of the city? How will these five developments benefit the poor, hungry and homeless, The causes of racism, poverty, unemployment, poor education and lack of affordable housing are increasing in Milwaukee and are not affected by these developments? Overt racism, like a symbol of white power on a lunchbox, makes the news. But institutional racism, sadly, has become the norm. ----Bob Graf
DON’S JOKES
Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.
When I see lovers’ names carved in a tree, I don’t think it is cute. I just think it’s crazy how many people bring knives on a date. Hmmm…and yet another day has passed and I haven’t used algebra once…..interesting.
Everyone has photographic memory; some just don’t have film. Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom with the dishes. Do you think tea companies have coffee breaks? Business is bad at the dry cleaners shop so we could say that they are “depressed”.
What do you get when you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole? Hot cross bunnies. What did the mother buffalo say to her son when he left for school? Bison.
What do you get when you cross a pit bull with a collie? A dog that rips your leg off, then goes for help. Why is the baby ant so confused? Because all her uncles were ants. If you are what you eat, very many people are dead meat. Son: Momma, I have the biggest feet in the third grade. Why is that? Is it because I am from Wisconsin? Mom: No, son, it is because you are 19 years old. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Not surprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too. *Mom said I’d never get anywhere by procrastinating. I replied, “Just you wait…”
Two thoughtful math students were sitting on a bench talking, and one says to the other "Which do you think is farther away...Florida or the moon?" The other turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida from here?” They say Bernie cannot win because he is a socialist Jew. But we celebrate the birthday of a socialist Jew every year on Dec. 25.
INTERESTING FACTS
A border wall, besides keeping undocumented people out of the “land of the free,” would also close off public access to parts of the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Javelinas are among the many animals that make their home there. --Mother Jones Magazine
Lettuce killed more Americans this year than undocumented workers. Uganda welcomes refugees. Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world. With few resources to offer to more than one million displaced people, Uganda represents a case study for generous refugee-hosting policies.----Maryknoll Office for Global
According to the Dept. of Defense Inspector General and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, $21 Trillion in taxpayer funding is unaccounted for.
Every 10 minutes in Yemen, a child dies from preventable diseases. Today in Yemen, 1.8 million children under the age of 5 are dying from acute malnutrition. President Trump, a businessman, knows that Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics and Raytheon sell lots of weapons to the Saudis, and he does not really want to end these ludicrous deals. ---Democracy Now, 11/15/18 Greed kills.
A former volunteer named Ken at Casa has passed away. May he now rest in peace. The family does not have enough money to have him cremated. If you would like to help the family, please call Kara Schroeder at 920-287-8797. Thanks much.
From Dec. 28 to Jan. 5 Catholic Workers and Voices for Creative Nonviolence held a Fast for Yemen outside of the Saudi Embassy in New York protesting the illegal and immoral war on Yemen. After that, from Jan.6-13, as part of the Witness Against Torture, Fasters once again in Washington D.C. protested the Guantanamo Bay Prison where prisoners are still being held without charges and a trial. We thank all those who participated in these fasts.
The U.S. has been at war at some time in 93.5% of the calendar years between 1775 and 2018. War is defined as using military force or the imminent threat of force to achieve national ends. The U.S. is now at war in 40% of the world’s nations. In the last 17 yrs., the U.S. has dropped at least 271,880 bombs on other nations killing half a million people. ----Smithsonian, Jan./Feb., 2019
The U.S. military consumes as much as 1 million barrels of oil per day and contributes 5% of current global warming. An Abrams tank consumes 250 gallons of fuel per hour. A F-15 Fighter Jet uses 1,580 gallons of fuel per hour. ---Peace Action Wisconsin
“As you press on to justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapons of love.”---Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “As you come to know the seriousness of our situation ----the war, the racism, the poverty in the world --- you come to realize that that it is not going to be changed just by words or demonstrations. It’s a question of risking your life. It’s a question of living your life in drastically different ways.” ----Dorothy Day
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: When the times seem dark and depressive it is time to listen to a wise person who showed us a new way. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought light and truth to the world. The following statements are excerpts from his speech on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, “I still believe that we shall overcome. This faith can give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born….I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill proclaim the rule of the land.” May this be so. Peace, Roberta
Sat., Feb. 2 ----BENEFIT FOR CASA MARIA CATHOLIC WORKER at The Coffee House, 2717 E. Hampshire, starting at 8 p.m. Bring your voice, musical instrument or whatever, and enjoy the music and local talent. Thank you!
Thurs. Feb. 7 ---Vigil at Ice, Knapp & Broadway, starting at Noon. Stop separating families and the detention of undocumented workers. All people are God’s people, deserving of hospitality and respect.
Thurs. Feb. 14 -----Vigil at Marquette U. ROTC at 15th & Wisconsin starting at Noon. No Christian institution should be teaching that violence is appropriate to get what you wish. Marquette University, a Catholic Jesuit University, from 2000-2017 received $17, 086,037 in US Defense contracts. An average of a million plus each year
Thurs. Feb. 21 ----Vigil at Gun Shop, 43rd & Lincoln, starting at Noon. The more guns there are the more deaths will result.
Fri. March 8th --- Milwaukee Women's Strike events for International Women's Day, contact the MOMSLine for details, 414-342-6662
March 30 (Saturday) to April 5 (Friday, noon) ----10 YEARS of DRONE RESISTANCE at Creech Killer Drone Air Force Base, Nevada FMI: maggiehuntington32(at)yahoo(dot)com
In 1968 while a graduate student at Marquette University I became aware of the meaning of words, ‘institutional racism’, “the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in our society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color.” While Marquette University claimed to be open to students of all racial backgrounds only about 33 of 11,611 students at Marquette were Black.
When I heard that the Milwaukee Metro area in the last two censuses was the most racially segregated city in the USA and the worst place to raise Black children I looked into the why and causes of these negative rankings of Milwaukee. A few years ago, I lobbied for an Affordable Housing Ordinance like the other top ten segregated cities have adopted. I was naïve to believe that if city officials and people saw the facts they would be motivated into doing something about the causes of this institutional racism in Milwaukee. Now reading an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel I realized how Institutional Racism has just become the norm for Milwaukee.
The introduction to the interview states: “From the opening of the Fiserv Forum to the Milwaukee Streetcar, 2018 was a year of major changes for downtown Milwaukee. But 2019 may prove to be even more transformative for the central city.” By central city, it means downtown Milwaukee or what I called the developing white Milwaukee within Milwaukee. The developments were: The Avenue, formerly Grand Avenue Mall: The Symphony Center, formerly Warner Grand Theater complex: BMO bank Tower: The Couture building on the Lakefront: The Harbor District development.
These developments, like the downtown trolley and Firsrv Forum, partially subsidized by the City of Milwaukee, are great for the new white Milwaukee city but what are they doing for the large segregated Black and Hispanic parts of the city? How will these five developments benefit the poor, hungry and homeless, The causes of racism, poverty, unemployment, poor education and lack of affordable housing are increasing in Milwaukee and are not affected by these developments? Overt racism, like a symbol of white power on a lunchbox, makes the news. But institutional racism, sadly, has become the norm. ----Bob Graf
DON’S JOKES
Hard work spotlights the character of people: Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.
When I see lovers’ names carved in a tree, I don’t think it is cute. I just think it’s crazy how many people bring knives on a date. Hmmm…and yet another day has passed and I haven’t used algebra once…..interesting.
Everyone has photographic memory; some just don’t have film. Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom with the dishes. Do you think tea companies have coffee breaks? Business is bad at the dry cleaners shop so we could say that they are “depressed”.
What do you get when you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole? Hot cross bunnies. What did the mother buffalo say to her son when he left for school? Bison.
What do you get when you cross a pit bull with a collie? A dog that rips your leg off, then goes for help. Why is the baby ant so confused? Because all her uncles were ants. If you are what you eat, very many people are dead meat. Son: Momma, I have the biggest feet in the third grade. Why is that? Is it because I am from Wisconsin? Mom: No, son, it is because you are 19 years old. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Not surprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too. *Mom said I’d never get anywhere by procrastinating. I replied, “Just you wait…”
Two thoughtful math students were sitting on a bench talking, and one says to the other "Which do you think is farther away...Florida or the moon?" The other turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida from here?” They say Bernie cannot win because he is a socialist Jew. But we celebrate the birthday of a socialist Jew every year on Dec. 25.
INTERESTING FACTS
A border wall, besides keeping undocumented people out of the “land of the free,” would also close off public access to parts of the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Javelinas are among the many animals that make their home there. --Mother Jones Magazine
Lettuce killed more Americans this year than undocumented workers. Uganda welcomes refugees. Uganda is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world. With few resources to offer to more than one million displaced people, Uganda represents a case study for generous refugee-hosting policies.----Maryknoll Office for Global
According to the Dept. of Defense Inspector General and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, $21 Trillion in taxpayer funding is unaccounted for.
Every 10 minutes in Yemen, a child dies from preventable diseases. Today in Yemen, 1.8 million children under the age of 5 are dying from acute malnutrition. President Trump, a businessman, knows that Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics and Raytheon sell lots of weapons to the Saudis, and he does not really want to end these ludicrous deals. ---Democracy Now, 11/15/18 Greed kills.
A former volunteer named Ken at Casa has passed away. May he now rest in peace. The family does not have enough money to have him cremated. If you would like to help the family, please call Kara Schroeder at 920-287-8797. Thanks much.
From Dec. 28 to Jan. 5 Catholic Workers and Voices for Creative Nonviolence held a Fast for Yemen outside of the Saudi Embassy in New York protesting the illegal and immoral war on Yemen. After that, from Jan.6-13, as part of the Witness Against Torture, Fasters once again in Washington D.C. protested the Guantanamo Bay Prison where prisoners are still being held without charges and a trial. We thank all those who participated in these fasts.
The U.S. has been at war at some time in 93.5% of the calendar years between 1775 and 2018. War is defined as using military force or the imminent threat of force to achieve national ends. The U.S. is now at war in 40% of the world’s nations. In the last 17 yrs., the U.S. has dropped at least 271,880 bombs on other nations killing half a million people. ----Smithsonian, Jan./Feb., 2019
The U.S. military consumes as much as 1 million barrels of oil per day and contributes 5% of current global warming. An Abrams tank consumes 250 gallons of fuel per hour. A F-15 Fighter Jet uses 1,580 gallons of fuel per hour. ---Peace Action Wisconsin
“As you press on to justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapons of love.”---Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “As you come to know the seriousness of our situation ----the war, the racism, the poverty in the world --- you come to realize that that it is not going to be changed just by words or demonstrations. It’s a question of risking your life. It’s a question of living your life in drastically different ways.” ----Dorothy Day
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: When the times seem dark and depressive it is time to listen to a wise person who showed us a new way. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought light and truth to the world. The following statements are excerpts from his speech on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, “I still believe that we shall overcome. This faith can give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born….I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill proclaim the rule of the land.” May this be so. Peace, Roberta
Sat., Feb. 2 ----BENEFIT FOR CASA MARIA CATHOLIC WORKER at The Coffee House, 2717 E. Hampshire, starting at 8 p.m. Bring your voice, musical instrument or whatever, and enjoy the music and local talent. Thank you!
Thurs. Feb. 7 ---Vigil at Ice, Knapp & Broadway, starting at Noon. Stop separating families and the detention of undocumented workers. All people are God’s people, deserving of hospitality and respect.
Thurs. Feb. 14 -----Vigil at Marquette U. ROTC at 15th & Wisconsin starting at Noon. No Christian institution should be teaching that violence is appropriate to get what you wish. Marquette University, a Catholic Jesuit University, from 2000-2017 received $17, 086,037 in US Defense contracts. An average of a million plus each year
Thurs. Feb. 21 ----Vigil at Gun Shop, 43rd & Lincoln, starting at Noon. The more guns there are the more deaths will result.
Fri. March 8th --- Milwaukee Women's Strike events for International Women's Day, contact the MOMSLine for details, 414-342-6662
March 30 (Saturday) to April 5 (Friday, noon) ----10 YEARS of DRONE RESISTANCE at Creech Killer Drone Air Force Base, Nevada FMI: maggiehuntington32(at)yahoo(dot)com