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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

We're Still Here

Apologies ... five days have passed since my last post regarding our interim journey in Chicago and Milwaukee. We are on our 7th day in Milwaukee and although it will never be 'home, ' the mission has a certain 'comfort' for us. We know how to navigate the hallways and the myriad locked doors and passageways. We've met several men and women who stay in the mission. We gather in the 'refrigerator' for some of our meals and for snacks. We (or, more accurately, some) watched "The Bachelor," bringing 'reality' to our away-from-home experience. We met staff and students of Cross Trainers Academy and learned about the program at St. Marcus school, a school the serves around eight hundred students, many of whom attend St. Marcus due to the benefit of the Wisconsin voucher, or choice, system.

We have had many and long conversations about the benefits and the concerns associated with the Wisconsin voucher system. We heard of the opportunities afforded to students who would not be able to attend St. Marcus, the Cross Trainers Academy, or the many other 'choice' schools in the area. We wondered about the effect of vouchers on the Milwaukee Public Schools. We are conflicted ...

We rode through what appear to be desolate and desperate streets of the 53206 zip code. We have seen empty lots where houses once stood. We saw big brick buildings of schools and businesses that are boarded up. We saw schools and agencies that are trying to make a difference; to help those 'in need' to lift themselves or to be lifted out of the bonds of poverty. We read that over 60% of the people who live in the 53206 zip code are unemployed and that if one can find a job, one has to leave their community to get it and work in it.

And, we read about and meet real people. We meet Allan. We talk with Keith. We hear the story of Jerry and of Kevin. We find real people. People quite like you. Quite like me. Like us. Beyond the statistic that tells us that 1 in 8 men of color who live in the 53206 are or have been incarcerated, we find that real people live here. They love someone and are loved by someone. They are 'us.'

We are well. We are here and we are anticipating the conclusion of this particular journey. We are getting ready for others ...

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