When I came to the African American Roundtable (AART) in 2019, I was excited to be joining the team at that moment. We were three months away from launching our LiberateMKE campaign, which aims to divest from police and fund our communities. Since that moment, AART has grown from two to six staff members, we have been able to launch new programs, and are on the path to being fully independent.

I am so proud of this growth during multiple pandemics and a rebellion. One thing the last two years has taught us is that we have to build a home. AART has done so much around working with and in coalitions and with some really dope organizations.  With that, we are not abandoning that work, but rather we are ready to build a home. 

In her famous speech, “Coalition Politics: Turning the Century,” Bernice Reagon Johnson said, “Coalition work is not done in your home. Coalition work has to be done in the streets. And it is often the most dangerous work you can do.” She goes on to say, “you don’t get fed a lot in coalition.” 

After several years leading some coalitions, we have almost exhausted ourselves in that realm of work, because coalition capacities and directions change from year to year. And that, at times, leaves the work unfinished. That is why after several years of plotting, learning and growing, we are finally ready to launch our membership program. We are ready to build a broad-based, intergenerational political home for Black people in Milwaukee! We see this as a commitment that will sustain our work by training new leaders and organizers while investing directly in the people who have helped us get to this point. 

Membership will provide people with the opportunity to help shape our work, leadership development training, political education and the opportunity to share space with some of the dopest Black people in Milwaukee. M. Adams said, “Our movements need more people,” and this is our attempt to bring more people into our movements. Join us on this journey, join us in this fight. Become a member today!

Until Victory,

Devin Anderson, AART Membership and Coalition Manager