The following is a transcript of a part of the conversation between Jane Matenaer and Dr. Eve Hall, President and CEO of the Milwaukee Urban League.
Transcription provided by eCourt Reporters.
JANE MATENAER: What would you tell people who are listening, Dr. Hall? Because I think there are so many misconceptions about Milwaukee’s African American population, and I think when we stay in our own neighborhoods again and we don’t venture out and we don’t meet other people, those — those misconceptions are allowed to continue.
DR. EVE HALL: Correct.
So I would say to individuals who are listening: to be curious. I mean, get to know other people.
Selfishly, I’ll give a couple of plugs to two events that we have as an Urban League that, quite frankly, everyone says they are some of the most diverse events. And one would be our Black & White Ball that’s been going on for 35 years —
JANE: Wow!
HALL: — June 6th at the Wisconsin Center District. They can go to our website, tmul.org. But this was started 35 years ago with the intent of bringing Blacks and Whites together in a fun setting for an evening where we get a chance to know each other; you know, break bread together; listen to entertainment; dance; learn more about the Urban League; learn about things that are working. We had 1,200 people at our event last year.
MATENAER: That’s fabulous.
HALL: And, you know, again, diverse group of people in their tuxes, you know, and their long gowns. And it’s so interesting because — I’ve heard this from both sides — I’ve heard African Americans say, “Wow, I didn’t know that there were so many African Americans here and so many professionals that were here.”
And then you’ll have Caucasians who’ll say, “Wow, I didn’t know that there was so many African American professionals here that, you know, we could do this,” or that, “Why people were even allowed to come to the ball.”
I mean, it’s just — it was very interesting to hear all these different comments you get.
JANE: I bet.
HALL: But at the end, what came about was just a new, I think, understanding; reckoning; appreciation of each other. And when I look out at that audience, you know, when I’m up on the stage giving remarks, it is just a beautiful sea of diversity.
JANE: That’s wonderful.
HALL: And I always say — and of a lot of just movers and shakers of the city that’s who’s coming, and I said, “Wow, if all of us could do everything that we could in the roles that we each held or hold, what a difference this city could make, just with those 1,200 people moving.” But that’s an event, that’s an opportunity for diversity.
The other piece is that we have what we call “Equal Opportunity Day,” every year at the beginning of December. We typically have it at the Pfister Hotel. And this is a time where we recognize Black,
White, you know, who have done some things to move the community, something around diversity, but just something where you really made a difference.
And so, like this year, we honored Dan Bader from Bader Philanthropies, because of all that they have done as a philanthropic organization. And now they’ve moved up on King Drive —
JANE: Right, right.
HALL: — right in the heart of the city, made this commitment to hire from the neighborhood.
You know, so to Kalan Haywood, Jr., who’s kind of our youngest state representative and just so passionate about what he’s doing, you know, to kind of the MQ Group, which is the chancellor of UWM; president of MATC; superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. Together, they’ve formed this collaborative in really looking at how to tighten the pipeline for students leaving MPS and either going to MATC or UWM.
So, you know, we try to recognize individuals like that. And normally we’ll have a speaker; this year we actually had a panel focusing on the DNC that’s coming here and the importance of there being diversity when it comes to contractors, employees that are working during this time, and just what all of that is about.
But, again, it is an audience of about 600 people, a diverse group, people that you can meet. So it puts you in a different kind of setting. And I think, once again, those are some of the opportunities to begin to see Milwaukee differently and begin to help us see each other in a way of true respect and appreciation and knowing that we are in an interdependent society and we have to begin to think beyond the city. We have to be regional. We have to think statewide. I mean, people should feel welcome wherever they go in this state.
