The 2020 County Health Rankings ranks Milwaukee County at 71 out of 72 counties in the state of Wisconsin. When we take into consideration the city of Milwaukee that lies within the county, it paints a pretty clear picture as to why the ranking is what it is. The city of Milwaukee continues to face challenges like many other disproportionately underserved cities around the nation. As stated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “due to various manifestations of structural racism, including redlining and discriminatory hiring practices, families of color are disproportionately represented among households of lower income and in neighborhoods segregated from economic opportunities, quality goods, and services.”
As a native of the city of Milwaukee, I believe the answer to these challenges lies in collective ownership, belonging and civic pride and, through that, creating an ecosystem that embodies all the social necessities to live an equitable life. We must develop what doesn’t exist in every community in the city: access to healthy options, housing, gainful employment, quality of care, vocational training and social integration.
To fulfill this will be a result of the voices of constituents at business tables that stand to profit from being in their communities. In 2006, the Brookings Institution published a research report that states “reducing the costs of living for lower income families by just 1% would add up to over $6.5 billion in new spending power for these families. This would enable lower and modest-income families to save for, and invest in, incoming-growing assets, like homes and retirement savings, or to pay for critical expenses for their children, like education and health care.”
This column is part of “25 big ideas for Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin’s future,” a feature included in the BizTimes Milwaukee 25th anniversary issue. To read other contributions, visit biztimes.com/bigideas
