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The Obama Foundation declared Milwaukee a “Community to watch” as it pertains to promoting efforts to support and provide opportunities for young men and boys of color.
To help move Milwaukee forward, under the leadership of Walter Lanier, the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee, or AALAM, has emerged as the backbone organization leading the My Brother’s Keeper certification process.
One of the first major works of this organization involved the convening of Greater Milwaukee leaders in May at the Milwaukee County Zoo Learning Loft.
This session provided an opportunity for leaders to begin the work of organizing and creating synergy for the work that they do and that will be done to unify and strengthen that work.
Milwaukee Mayor Chevy Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley have committed to the My Brother’s Keeper initiative and were on hand to share their hope and passion for programming.
Their commitment to make Milwaukee a region where every young person has what they need to be healthy, safe and thrive was demonstrated when awarding AALAM with the MBK certification.
Along with support from the Obama Foundation and the city and the county, Milwaukee will make an impact on the youths and men of color in Milwaukee County. We are thankful for their support and commitment and praise them for their boldness in addressing a segment of the population that is often underserved.
A focus on solutions
Leaders were given the task of identifying the needs of Black males while providing some solutions for strengthening support or for eliminating barriers.
Conversations were lively and rich with qualitative and quantitative data that can be used to identify goals and priorities.
Value was seen in every position and intersecting point of awareness, lending to great divergence.
Within these many differing views, we create the possibility for many solutions.
And, given the spectacular turnout and the data that outlined work being done by various leaders, it is clear that “we are not outnumbered. We’re (formally) out-organized,” as Malcolm X said.
The convening of these leaders enabled us to create a new space for collaboration, defining of issues, prioritizing goals, creating metrics for success and identifying entry points for services of the many identified partnerships.
Neither the momentum nor the work done this day end here, for, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
Here is where the heavy lifting begins.
Dorothea Macon is an associate with the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee.
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