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When I used the word ‘racism’ to describe taking down the basketball courts at local County Park or the activities of the Milwaukee St. Vincent de Paul Society people seem to take it personally and are offended. I certainly do not mean it that way.

I just finishing listening to an audio book about lynchings in the South in early 20th century, although it was illegal. Now I am now reading Father Bryan Massingale’s book on Racial Justice and the Catholic Church. These two books, as other experiences and reading, have helped me better to understand what people are hearing when they hear the word ‘racism’. People tend to look at racism through the eyes of early 20th century, when one person or group, usually white, does something negative to another person or group, usually Black or Latino.

Yet what I am talking about is a “cultural phenomenon, that is, a way of interpreting human color differences that pervades the collective convictions, conventions, and practices of American life.” (Massingale p. 15) Often it is an ‘unconscious racism’ operating as a negative – “yet not conscious, deliberate, or intentional – decisions making factor, due to the pervasive cultural stigma attached to dark skin color in Western culture.” (Massingale p. 23).

I believe this explains what happened in 1967–1968 during the school year at Marquette when students accused the University of “Institutional Racism”. The reaction of administrators and Jesuits was ‘we are not racist’, we allow anyone into Marquette who qualifies, despite race. However, Marquette did make institutional changes that allow blacks, many local, to attend the University, despite being black and poor. It was called the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and allowed many African American males and females from Milwaukee to attend Marquette University, one, a single mother on welfare, now is our congresswoman from our district.

However, I do not believe Marquette University really understood ‘institutional racism’ or made a real structural change. At a recent panel forum on the 25th anniversary of EOP program I was hoping to ask how any African Americans from Milwaukee are in the EOP today? I was not given the chance since there were no questions, dialog or comments allowed. From observation there are very few local blacks in the program today. There are many Asians, Palestinians and other low income people from over the USA in the program but it seems the barriers, institutional racism for Blacks in Milwaukee are back in place.

When I say that Milwaukee St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) is “racist” I am not talking about not allowing black members or serving blacks. I am taking about structural issues that have been going on since the early 90’s where now only .03% of the 3 and half million dollar of Central Office and Council budget is going toward direct person to person home visits to people in need, the main mission of the Society. The people getting the .03% of the budget for home visits from local conferences are mostly Black and Latino. This is racism, pure and simple. Perhaps the people doing it are not even conscious of what they are doing and are not doing it deliberately or intentionally but nevertheless it is racism, and good “intentions”, like “we are going to make money for poor by serving whites in suburbs” cannot cover it up.

Racism is not segregation, necessarily. Milwaukee being the most racially segregated city in the USA, according to US census, accounts for some racism but it is not the reason why Milwaukee is rampart with cultural racism. Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed African American male, sleeping on a bench in a Public Park, committing no crime, was shot 15 times, once in the back, by a police officer over 7 months ago and yet no decision about charging or justification of the police officer has been made. The lawyer for Dontre Hamilton’s family asked why this case and many others in Milwaukee, does not get national attention like the Ferguson case. Can it be that cultural racism in Milwaukee is the norm?

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