Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Celebrates 2021 Black History Month

The following is the statement of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley celebrating the start of Black History Month: 

“Each February we get to celebrate the proud history and contributions that Black Americans have made here in Milwaukee County and across the nation. We honor generations of people who have enriched our society, pay homage to the giants of the past who fought to realize the promise of this country, and recognize the amazing potential of the future through the work of current generations of leaders who continue to transform our communities through activism, service, and leadership. 

“As we honor Black History Month, we recognize that there is still work to do towards making Milwaukee County a more equitable place for everyone. Justice and access to equal opportunity are undercut by generations of the systemic racism that pervades our institutions at every level of government. While we celebrate, Milwaukee County is also pushing forward with our strategic plan to achieve racial equity and make our county the healthiest in the state of Wisconsin. 

“Our shared vision for the future is bold, but we’ve already made great progress in transforming the County and taking the first steps toward achieving equity. Today, County leadership is more reflective of the residents we serve, for the first time nearly two-thirds of County department leaders are Black and over half of them are women. We’re helping shape the state, and even national, discourse on an equitable response to the pandemic with our COVID-19 dashboard which was one of the first in the country to explicitly track data by race – and the data continues to drive how we channel resources to fight the pandemic. We’re bridging the gap on health disparities by pivoting to a No Wrong Door model of customer services to break down silos and create easier access to quality care. And, we’re investing in equity by channeling millions of federal dollars in COVID-19 relief to the most vulnerable and underserved communities in Milwaukee County. 

“This Black History Month, we recommit to our vision of achieving racial equity and making our county the healthiest in the state. To do so, we draw the inspiration to think big and the courage to be bold from the legacy of those who came before us and worked to push us toward progress. I look forward to honoring those legacies this month, and every month, as Milwaukee County continues to rise to the challenge this moment calls of us. Guided by our vision of the future and our reverence for the achievements of the past we will keep moving forwards to a future of equity and justice for all.”