AART’s Liberation Roadmap continued leading our Milwaukee community along a transformative journey and this time, to resilience.

Following a collective three plus years I've worked on electoral and democracy campaigns, I knew this year’s elections would be as high-impact as they were high-stakes. The most important roles I felt to play were holding my community in compassion and supporting folks’ analysis around multi-tactical strategies toward change. Now that November 5 is behind us, I'd like to offer reflections and a path forward.

This is the third of a three-part blog series intended to depict how we got here and the world we want to see.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released his budget this past Tuesday. This budget represents more of the same, even though he's telling us it's significantly different from last year's. Although Milwaukee has received nearly $193 million through sales tax collection, the city still faces a $87 million deficit. How is that possible?

My familiarity with Black August blossomed a year ago in Cuba. I was a part of a delegation to Cuba to learn about the country’s socialist project, her resilience in spite of the 60+ year blockade imposed by the US imperialist war machine, and strategies to end the blockade.

At the African American Roundtable (AART), we define organizing as "the intentional process of building authentic relationships and nurturing Black leaders to collectively build power for Black liberation."

We launched LiberateMKE, a campaign that demanded that we divest from the Milwaukee Police Department and invest in community programs like jobs for young people, housing, and mental health, five years ago on Juneteenth with close to 50 other comrades and partners. I remember that day vividly.

Many residents assert that “there’s nothing over here” and refer to the area as “divested,” “dilapidated,” desolate,” “barren,” and/or “neglected.”

As another busy election year is upon us, I want to challenge us not to bury ourselves eyeballs deep in the vicious electoral cycle. I want to challenge us to shift our mindset to fight–and rest. Fighting with no rest can leave us weary and cause us to possibly miss liberation altogether. I want to take you all on a journey of me saying yes to rest while I fought. 

AART launched a monthly donor program and could use your support! Your donation will help our vision become a reality–and our work in Milwaukee more impactful.

The United States’ dependence on capital accumulation has always managed to be at the expense of Black people, especially our most marginalized.

The African American Roundtable exists to organize, nurture and transform Black leaders to build power in service of Black liberation. Our vision is to be a joyful, political home for Black people to thrive in liberated, interconnected communities.

As we near the end of 2023 and the start of 2024, I want to thank you for coming along on this journey with the African American Roundtable.

When we set out to nurture Black leaders and build power in service of Black liberation, we knew that the task ahead wouldn’t be easy.

As we wrap up 2023, I want to uplift the work we have done on our Participatory Budgeting Project. This year, the African American Roundtable put up $40,000 of our organizational fund to invest in four projects on the Northwest Side.

Milwaukee will add 15 more police officers because of Act 12 that Mayor Johnson negotiated with Wisconsin Republicans. Fifteen more police officers will be added in 2024. After years of cutting police officers, this budget increases the number of police, because Mayor Johnson negotiated a bad deal for Milwaukee.

Those familiar with Milwaukee's far Northwest Side know that it has changed over time. Decades-long economic decline, divestment, and lack of city leadership has caused this majority Black area to suffer tremendously.

Social justice, or the equity of opportunity, resources, knowledge, and connections, is a concept completely achievable within any community, even in a city such as Milwaukee, which typically receives more recognition for its violence rather than the tremendous amount of peace and collaboration that exists.

On March 10, 2023, the Walmart located on Silver Spring Drive permanently closed its doors for business. The closing was announced a month prior, leaving frequent store shoppers shocked and devastated. This is yet another example of disinvestment to Milwaukee’s Northwest Side, a part of the city that is treated as if it’s not part of Milwaukee.

Since we launched LiberateMKE in 2019, we’ve heard about the impending financial cliff facing Milwaukee. In the preceding years, Milwaukee has made no changes to address the major driver of their financial crisis, the police department.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas.