I believe that Milwaukee has potential, but unless we deal with the social/economic disparity in our community, we will never meet our potential. My BHAG for Greater Milwaukee is that we are “colorblind”: There is no difference between the Third Ward, near north side, near west side, Mequon, south side, Hales Corners, Hartland, etc. It does not make a difference if you are brown, white, Black, male, female, gay, straight, transgender, etc. Everyone has the same opportunity for a world-class education and career. What individuals do with that opportunity is up to them.
Our local government officials have tried for decades to make a difference. I think that they, for the most part, want to make a positive difference. Unfortunately, the situation frankly hasn’t changed. To make this happen I believe we need business leaders, working with all other resources (churches, community organizations, foundations, government, etc.) in the community, to demand and make the lasting change for Milwaukee. Anything less than complete success needs to be viewed as failure.
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
