Torre Johnson, lead mentor at Wisconsin Community Services re-entry program and a member of Milwaukee’s Black Male Achievement Advisory Council, talks about growing up on Milwaukee’s North Side, his past life as a gang leader and how the work he does now is “a part of my repentance.” He stresses the importance of building Black ownership and spaces in Milwaukee and examines what it will take for people to come together around that goal.
“We need to come out of our own pockets and support our own people, too. We need to be the first people to do it. We need to be the first people to see the need, and know the need, and contribute to ourselves. I think the future of Milwaukee is really bright, and that’s why I want to make sure we all have a part of it. Because, if we all don’t have a part of it, it’s not gonna be.”
– Torre Johnson
