A call to transform community
Our community is ready for a transformation. While we have shown resilience in the face of daunting disparities, there is a growing chorus calling for us to recognize each other as neighbors, develop a shared vision and take action to advance a high quality of life for all.
James Causey’s recent series, “What happened to us?,” gives us important, common context. The stories are more than portraits of individual struggle and success. They offer a window into the broader systemic issues that impact a person’s path in life. We see that the barriers to safety, stability and upward mobility are often entwined and cannot be addressed in isolation. They persist from one generation to the next, further demonstrating that solutions must be holistic and built to last.
Whether directly or indirectly, disparities in academic achievement, household income, home ownership, health — virtually any indicator you can name — stifle the vitality of our region and ultimately cost us all.
We can reverse this pattern through interventions that target the root causes of disparities, many of which affect communities of color disproportionately. Global economics and widespread practices affected our region in many ways over the decades, but the solutions capable of making the greatest difference are collaborative and local.
Our community exhibits both the will and the way to a brighter future, provided we place people at the center of solutions that fully engage residents and partners across all sectors, borders and backgrounds. It’s with this intentionality that the Greater Milwaukee Foundation approaches convening people around key issues, research that advances understanding of our region, investing in innovative programs, and strengthening partnerships among philanthropy, business, government, nonprofits and — most importantly — the people served by these institutions.
Achieving our vision of an inclusive, globally competitive, 21st century region will sometimes require new approaches. For example, the foundation will soon introduce a pilot impact investing program focused on jobs and job creation, providing access to capital outside conventional financing models. And in October, we’ll debut “On the Table,” an opportunity for the entire community to engage in critical conversations and develop road maps for action.
When the foundation chose to support the reporting of “What Happened to Us?” through our Fellowship in Public Service Journalism, we knew only that the stories of our community needed to be told with depth, integrity and fairness.
What we learned through the series and the culminating community conversation the foundation and Journal Sentinel held Thursday is that people in our community want honest dialogue and meaningful action on issues of race, class and opportunity. As shown by the young members of Urban Underground who attended Thursday’s event in full force, the next generation already is engaged and determined to help write a new story for our future.
Although no single act or organization can eliminate the barriers and disparities entrenched in our region, a community united in common purpose has the power to change its trajectory.