Variety

A few weeks ago an op-ed appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that slighted the city for disillusioning its young minority professionals and driving them away to greener pastures. The piece, written by Kenya Evans, also criticized local businesses for their lack of training and mentoring of young minority professionals. Ms. Evan further bemoaned the lack of culture and nightlife in Milwaukee, the city of festivals. Ms Evans gave credit, however, to one of the city’s premier networking organizations – Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM) – for trying to improve the climate, but in the end she concluded “close but no cigar.” In other words, we’re just not trying enough. Ms Evans said that she is now secretly planning to relocate to Minneapolis or Philadelphia. (Note to Ms. Evans: The secret is out!) She is tired of being asked, “Why are you still in Milwaukee?” by other “older, wiser, accomplished Black professionals” who have apparently escaped the city and found “the promise land” atop Mt. Diversity in some other urban paradise.

O.K., I get it. Milwaukee isn’t hip enough, doesn’t care enough, and isn’t diverse enough for you right?

Ridiculous.

I’m tired of people using diversity (and the supposed lack thereof) as an excuse to bash anything, everything – a whole city – to justify their angst. In effect they play the race card to rationalize their own low self-esteem. Let me get this straight, you are saying the city lacks diversity, so you must move? Bye. Be careful not to trip on all of the ethnic festivals on your way out!

What the heck does “not diverse enough” mean anyway? When was the last time you said to yourself, “Gosh, my life lacks diversity; I need a little more ethnicity in my life.”  How absurd.

You can say that the city isn’t cosmopolitan enough, cultured enough but not diverse enough? Have you lived anywhere else? Go to Salt Lake City for a week, and then tell me Milwaukee isn’t diverse.

Ms. Evans defined diversity as “multicultural, less class and racial discrimination and greater options for living.” Wow. That’s a lot to expect from one word. The dictionary describes diversity as “a variety of something such as opinion, color, or style.” 

Variety.

Does anyone want to argue that Milwaukee doesn’t have variety?

I agree that Milwaukee isn’t as cosmopolitan as say Chicago, New York or San Francisco, but neither is 90 percent of the nation.  The real issue is the climate. The business climate to be precise. Diversity never attracted any minority to a job market. Good jobs do. What cities like Minneapolis and Philadelphia have that Milwaukee doesn’t is a friendly business climate that attracts big corporations. That has nothing to do with diversity and everything to do with political and corporate leadership. What Milwaukee and the whole state lack is visionary leadership. How many jobs has the state lost because of bone-headed political decisions? How many jobs have fled the city because of our crime epidemic? Who wants to move to a crime-riddled city with an anti-business climate?

Nobody.

(And speaking of crime, Philadelphia is not where you want to be: http://www.phillymag.com/articles/the_dead_of_night.)

It’s not that I don’t see what Ms. Evans sees; it’s just that I’ve been where she is. I was once young and restless…but a big part of what she espouses is something for which I have no tolerance: playing the blame game by oh-so-subtly dealing the race card. Truth is, I once echoed those same sentiments. But instead of bashing the city, I explored my possibilities. I traveled the nation, studied abroad, traveled the world and eventually…chose to make Milwaukee my home.

That’s right: I chose Milwaukee. I still choose it.

Once you chose to make a place your home, quality-of-life issues become your responsibility, not the city’s or a handful of its citizens. You see what your city has to offer, and Milwaukee has quite a bit.

And if all else fails, Chicago is still only 90 miles away.

Comments

[Elysse]

James-

Some good points. But I can assure you that most of the people of color I know--myself included--have personally run up against the invisible barrier to increasing professional success. You can quote other indicators, but that doesn't change the fact that most Milwaukee employers are biased.

[dad29]

Upward mobility is solely dependent on capability plus a winning attitude.

A lot of talented folks are, perhaps, unhappy with their lot in life.

But as I tell my children, time and time again, "Life Isn't Fair."

Besides, we're supposedly NOT playing for marbles here on Earth, right?

[pete]

I love your attitude of "call it home, be proud of it, and lead positive change".
But I also hear the reality of people who feel lost in Milwaukee. I'd love to see a panel discussion between you and Darius Harris. Check out his view of the Milwaukee Effect: http://blackmansdiary.blogspot.com/2006/11/invisible-ones.html