Author: Op Ed

The 9/11 lawsuit bill has serious consequences for Wisconsin’s veterans, and allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia puts veterans and military personnel in the crosshairs. Veteran entrepreneurs and business owners are integral to Wisconsin’s communities and our economy. According to the US Small Business Administration, veterans are twice as likely to own a business as the general population. However, due to the unique challenges veterans face, the percentage of veteran owned businesses surviving 10 years or more is significantly lower than the percentage of all businesses surviving the same time period. The Justice Against Sponsors of...

Margaret Rozga is a poet, civil rights activist and professor emerita of English at UW-Waukesha. The opportunity to visit a Milwaukee home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright prompted her to contemplate how the model could be applied today. “Right here,” docent Michael Lilek says, lifting his hand to shoulder height and pointing to the home behind him, “is the only example of this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed model known to still exist.” Mr. Lilek is also curator, American System-Built Homes, at Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin. The model he points out with obvious pride is the American System-Built B1 model, a...

What a funny way Donald Trump has of reaching out to black people. The Republican presidential nominee came to Milwaukee and, skirting black neighborhoods, drove out to the lily-white suburb of West Bend to urge African-Americans to vote for him — a perplexing pattern he has since repeated in Michigan and North Carolina. In the West Bend speech he accused Hillary Clinton of “talking down” to African-Americans. But what do you call lecturing people without even bothering to look them in the eye? In contrast, Clinton talks face to face with African-Americans. The real estate tycoon could have done...

Dear Residents: I would like to share with you my Op-ed recently submitted to the Journal Sentinel. It is time to roll up our sleeves and redouble our efforts. As challenging as last weekend was, I am focusing on Milwaukee’s future. Yes, our City was wounded, but we are already working to heal. Of course, nothing possibly justifies the criminal behavior displayed by some in recent days. Accountability is important for those who broke the law. But that is a small part of what’s ahead. The larger undertaking involves building trust, addressing disparities, and reducing violence. Where hope is...

I’m a white Milwaukeean writing to other white Milwaukeeans (though I hope it’s useful for white folks elsewhere). I write with a heavy dose of humility — I’m not scoring perfect tens here and know darn well that we have to do a heck of a lot more listening. I write though because one of the simplest and most often ignored requests that people of color make of us is to talk to each other. This past Saturday, the world watched as our city burned. By the time the sun was out Sunday morning our not-so-well-kept secret was clear for all...