MILWAUKEE, WHERE A NEW STUDY
FROM A FINANCIAL NEWS SITE RANKS
THE CITY WORST IN THE NATION FOR
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
THE STUDY POINTS TO DISPARITIES
BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE PEOPLE
IN THE WAY OF INCOME,
UNEMPLOYMENT AND HOME OWNERSHIP.
BUT HOPE MAY BE ON THE HORIZON
AS THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE THERE
ACTIVELY SEEKS SOLUTIONS,
INCLUDING DEVELOPING AND
SUPPORTING AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LEADERS.
ANTONIO RILEY IS BOARD PRESIDENT
FOR THE ALLIANCE.
HE JOINS US NOW FROM MILWAUKEE
AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR DOING
SO.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> NOW, YOUR ALLIANCE WAS
FOUNDED IN 2017 AND ITS MEMBERS
ARE READY NOW TO ACTIVATE YOUR
MISSION GOALS.
GOALS STATED ON YOUR WEBSITE TO
WITHIN FIVE YEARS REDEFINE
MILWAUKEE AS TOP-RANKED FOR
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, ENSURE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS WANT TO
LIVE AND WORK IN MILWAUKEE AND
ENHANCE A THRIEFG THRIVING AND GROWING
POOL OF TALENTED
AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS THERE.
WHAT ARE YOUR ACTION STEPS TO
REACH THESE GOALS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
BE WITH YOU TODAY TO TALK ABOUT
OUR VISION AND GOALS, NOT JUST
FOR MILWAUKEE, BUT FOR OUR
REGION HERE IN WISCONSIN.
WE REALLY FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT
WE NEED TO WORK WITH HARD AT
CHANGING SOME OF THE
DEMOGRAPHICS, DEFICIENCIES THAT
WE SEE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
HERE IN MILWAUKEE.
ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO MAKE
MILWAUKEE BY 2025 A PLACE WHERE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERSHIP CAN
THRIVE.
AND ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE GOALS
THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, IT
IS ABOUT A TALENT POOL ALSO.
NOW, AS PART OF THOSE EFFORTS,
WE ARE ENGAGING WITH ALLIES, THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND THE LIKE
WITH ACTUAL DELIVERABLE
STRATEGIES ON HOW TO ACHIEVE
THAT GOAL.
WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING SURE
THAT WE ARE A COMMUNITY BY 2025
WHERE AFRICAN-AMERICANS CAN
THRIVE AND THAT WE HAVE THAT
TALENT POOL AS WELL, WE WORK
WITH THE METROPOLITAN CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE TO COME UM COME UP WITH THE
REGION OF CHOICE, SETTING SOME
REALLY CLEAR, MEASURABLE GOALS
ABOUT HOW WE ARE GOING TO GET
THERE IN TERMS OF, ONE, DOING
TWO THINGS.
ONE, IT IS TO INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND
LATINOS IN MANAGEMENT POSITIONS
BY 25% BY 2025.
AND IT IS TO INCREASE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO
EMPLOYMENT BY 15% BY THAT SAME
TIME.
IN ORDER FOR US TO ACHIEVE THOSE
GOALS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE
HERE IN MILWAUKEE METROPOLITAN
AREA ARE GETTING THE SKILLS THEY
NEED BY WHICH TO CLIMB THAT
CORPORATE LADDER.
WHEN WE RECRUIT PEOPLE, MAKE
SURE THEY CAN LIVE, WORK AND
PLAY HERE.
THAT MEANS THEY WOULD HAVE TO
STAY HERE.
SO ALL THOSE GOALS ARE VERY
IMPORTANT TO US ACHIEVING THAT
BENCHMARK BY 2025.
>> WHY ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LEADERS IN MILWAUKEE IMPORTANT
TO TURNING THE CITY AROUND FOR
ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT.
AND I'LL JUST PUT IT TO YOU,
ANSWER YOUR QUESTION THIS WAY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY AS A
COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO TAKE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR OURSELVES.
AND WE REALLY DO.
AND A LOT OF US DO.
AND WE HAVE TO SIMPLY SAY THAT
LEADERSHIP WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY,
NOT JUST IN THE CORPORATE AREA,
BUT FOLKS IN CORPORATE
WISCONSIN, MILWAUKEE AS WELL AS
FOLKS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD,
FROM NOT-FOR-PROFITS AND ALL
SORTS OF OTHER GROUPS AND IT
DOESN'T JUST CONSIST OF STRICTLY
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS' VOICES ARE
BEING HEARD AND THEY ARE A PART
OF THAT CONVERSATION AND THUS A
PART OF HELPING US TO ACHIEVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A
STRONGER REGION.
SO THAT'S IMPORTANT, THAT WE
LEAD FOR OURSELVES AS WELL.
>> WHY HAS MILWAUKEE IN YOUR
MIND LANGUAGE LANGUISHED AND RANKED SO
POORLY FOR DISPARITIES
HISTORICALLY?
>> WELL, THAT IS A VERY LARGE
QUESTION THAT HAS LOTS OF
DIFFERENT NUANCES TO IT.
AND WE KNOW OF THE RACIAL
SEGREGATION THAT EXISTS WITHIN
NOT JUST THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE,
BUT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE
REGION.
ONE OF THE OTHER POLICY -- ONE
OF THE OTHER AREAS, AS YOU KNOW
FROM OUR WEBSITE, IT IS TO BE A
LEADER ON PUBLIC POLICY,
ENGAGING WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS,
TALK ABOUT THOSE STRATEGIES THAT
BUILD ALSO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO TALKS ABOUT
HOW DO WE TRANSFORM THE ENTIRE
REGION.
BUT WE HAVE LAGGED BEHIND.
AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE, FOR A HOST
OF DIFFERENT REASONS.
IT COMES TO HOUSING, THE
SEGREGATION, THE TRANSPORTATION
ISSUES.
ALL THOSE THINGS.
AND OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS.
AND LET ME ALSO SAY OUR CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM AS WELL.
AND SO WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT ALL
THOSE SYMPTOMS OF WHAT EXISTS IN
OUR COMMUNITY.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW DO WE
WORK WITH ALLIES TO FIGURE OUT
MEASURABLE STRATEGIES TO BEGIN
TO ADDRESS IT.
>> BRIEFLY AND FINALLY, DESCRIBE
HOW COMMITTED YOUR GROUP IS
TOWARD THESE GOALS FOR
MILWAUKEE?
>> OH, WE ARE VERY COMMITTED TO
IT.
I MEAN, THIS CAME OUT OF THE
AALP, WHICH HAS BEEN FOR THE
LAST TEN YEARS ONE OF THE
PREMIERE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO
DEVELOP AFRICAN-AMERICAN
LEADERSHIP IN CORPORATE
MILWAUKEE, SOME 200 ALIEWM ALUMNI.
WE CALLED TOGETHER ABOUT 80
FOLKS, AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS
AND CORPORATE FOLKS, TO DO A
SESSION BACK IN MAY.
AND THAT'S HOW WE THEN WENT
FORWARD AND LAUNCHED OUR GROUP
PUBLICLY AND ESTABLISHED A
NOT-FOR-PROFIT STATUS AND BOARD.
NEXT YEAR WE ARE GOING TO BE
RETOOLING THE LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM, LAUNCHED IN MARCH OF
2020.
WE WILL HERE A LEAD CHAMPION
CATALYST, WHICH MEANS OUR NEW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WHO WILL
THEN HIRE ADDITIONAL STAFF TO
FURTHER THE MISSION.
SO WE ARE COMMITTED TO IT AND WE
THANK ALL OF OUR ALLIES AND
PARTNERS OUT THERE FOR ALL OF
THEIR SUPPORT.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING
THIS WORK DONE.
>> ALL RIGHT.