Manuel “Manni” Marquez, a longtime Milwaukee community organizer who helped lead the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, died Oct. 28.
Marquez, 53, was born and raised on the South Side and devoted much of his career to improving the lives of young people and families in the community.
He spent 15 years at Journey House, first as a gang intervention specialist. He worked in youth development and workforce programming before becoming director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, according to Michele Bria, executive director of Journey House.
In 2011, Marquez, who went from getting his GED to eventually earning a master’s degree at Cardinal Stritch University, won a “Mi Comunidad” award, which recognizes an unsung hero in Milwaukee’s Hispanic community.
Marquez held positions at UMOS, Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee and the Cathedral Center. At the time of his death, he was director of administration at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee.
Paul Smith, executive director of Native American Tourism of Wisconsin, grew up on Milwaukee’s South Side but did not meet Marquez until adulthood. They crossed paths when Marquez visited a work site for Habitat for Humanity’s A Brush with Kindness home repair program in Clarke Square, which Smith oversaw.
“Manni was always trying to give back,” Smith said.
Ramon Candelaria, who followed Marquez as the director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, said his neighborhood roots were a key to his effectiveness.
“Manni’s old school. Manni’s from the block,” Candelaria said. “Manni lived it … and had a lot of respect on the street level.”
Because of this, Candelaria said, Marquez was able to work in communities that few others could reach.
Clarke Square roots
The Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative was established as part of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative, a $50 million philanthropic project to revitalize several Milwaukee neighborhoods.
The goal of the initiative, originally operated through Journey House, was to improve the quality of life for residents through neighborhood development, housing, public safety and community engagement.
Marquez served as the initiative’s first director through Journey House, overseeing its early programs and activities.
Candelaria said Marquez built on the work of Lorraine Blanco, a longtime Clarke Square community leader who helped residents address neighborhood concerns.
“Manni came on to make it more formal, more organized,” Candelaria said.
Candelaria credited Marquez and Journey House – particularly its leader Michele Bria – with formalizing neighborhood organizing efforts and bringing greater recognition to Clarke Square.
After Marquez’s time there, the initiative became an independent nonprofit.
Kevin Kuschel, executive director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative from 2023 until its merger with VIA Community Development Corp. in 2025, said the organization became an important advocate for the neighborhood’s diverse immigrant communities.
“It was a beloved institution for the community,” Kuschel said.
Kuschel, who did not know Marquez personally, said the organization’s leaders built trust by listening to residents and advocating for their neighborhood-specific priorities.
“You have to have boots on the ground, and that’s what Clark Square was,” Kuschel said.
Candelaria said Marquez represented a generation of community leaders who remained committed to their neighborhoods.
“His legacy is that he never left,” Candelaria said.
Smith agreed.
“The way he gave back so selflessly to his family, to the neighborhood, to Milwaukee,” Smith said. “It’s an enduring legacy.”
A visitation for Marquez will be held at St. Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church, 2064 S. 15th St., on Wednesday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon. A Mass will begin at noon with interment to follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery and Mausoleum, 3801 W. Morgan Ave.
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