SJC Exchange Library

The County Executive's Office and the Milwaukee County Board deserve much of the credit for the countywide racial equity work. Their combined oversight, leverage, and resources were necessary to get an effort like this off the ground. It was a multi-layered approach that started with buy-in from top County officials, then engaging other County leadership and managers, then bringing in employees.

There are well-documented indicators about the challenges that are disproportionately faced by African Americans in Milwaukee. (e.g. segregation, maternal-child health, over-incarceration) With that in mind, the County Executive dedicated County resources to establish an Office on African American Affairs (OAAA), which focuses on improving quality of life for African Americans in Milwaukee. OAAA then coordinated and led the larger racial equity initiative. The influence of the County Executive's Office was critical to bring all County leadership to the table with OAAA. With the backing of the County Executive, OAAA worked extensively to communicate this priority to County leaders/management and train them on racial equity. Starting with County leaders/managers was necessary to build a foundation of buy-in to sustain other efforts, like the countywide employee training.
#RacialJustice
#RacialDisparities
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