Many organizations active today have roots in the protests of 50 years ago.
A number of organizations that sprang up in Milwaukee’s Latino community in the wake of the social activism of the 1960s and early 1970s have emerged as major, multi-million dollar agencies providing employment, training and social services, along with educational, arts and cultural programming to Milwaukee’s still growing Latino population.
Among those agencies are:
UMOS
2701 S. Chase Ave., Milwaukee (414) 389-6000
Formerly United Migrant Opportunity Services.
Originally established in 1965 to assist migrant farm workers in Wisconsin, UMOS is now a multi-state non-profit advocacy organization that provides employment, educational, health and housing programs to low-income populations.
Centro Hispano
614 W. National Ave., Milwaukee (414) 384-3700
Also called the Council for the Spanish Speaking, Inc., Centro Hispano, established in 1964, provides bilingual education, housing and human services to Latino families, children and youth and low income populations.
La Causa Inc. Milwaukee
(414) 647-8750
Originally established in 1972 as the first bilingual day care center serving Latinos in Milwaukee, today La Causa Inc. provides early education and daycare services to preschool children, after school and summer programs for children up to age 12 and operates a charter school that serves about 800 elementary and middle school students from K4 through 8th grade.
Its operates a Crisis Nursery and Respite Center for troubled families, social services that include foster care and teen pregnancy and prevention, and mental health and substance abuse programs.
United Community Center 1028 S. 9th St., Milwaukee, (414) 384-3100
Originally established in the 1960s as a teen center called The United Spot, since 1970 the United Community Center, or Centro de la Comunidad Unida, has served as a social service agency for families on Milwaukee’s south side.
It offers numerous programs, including education for youth, programs for seniors, and recreational and physical fitness programs.
It operates two charter schools serving students from K-4 through 8th grade and an early childhood education program for 3-year-olds.
It is also home to Latino Arts Inc., a cultural and arts organization that includes a gallery and performance auditorium, and The Hispanic Heritage Center, a permanent multi-media exhibition chronicling the history of the Latino community in Milwaukee.
Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
Main offices: 1032 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive, Milwaukee, (414) 672-1353
Established in 1969, the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers provide health care, health education and social services at five locations to families on Milwaukee’s south side. Clients include patients without insurance and those on Medicaid
Services include adult and pediatric medicine, behavioral health services, social services, women’s health, HIV prevention and treatment.