“Racism is not over, but I am
over racism.”

St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) of Milwaukee continues to discriminate against poor people of color. If you are one of the few persons in need in the white middle class suburb of Greenfield you are liked to get help from this society dedicated to serve people in need by one to one visits. However, a person of color living in the North or South Central area in the city of Milwaukee is most likely to get the message from SVDP central office we are not serving your area at this time. The new suburban thrift store created in Greenfield, not serving the needy, is not making its monthly operating expense let alone deal with the over 3 million dollar debt to purchase and outfit it.

A few of us have tried to point out to the small group of white persons controlling the Milwaukee Society but no dialog was allowed. When we appealed to local, regional, national and international Society we were ignored and accused of doing the opposite of what we were doing, organizing outside the society. Although the Milwaukee Society was demonstrated to break many Rules and Spirit of the Society, the white powers of SVDP have ignored our protest and not responded to our facts, while punishing some of us by suspension for speaking “truth to power”. What do we do now as the Milwaukee Society continues to raise money in name of poor to keep the new suburban store not serving people in need?

What is happening with SVDP represents the new face of racism in Milwaukee: white people doing things they think will help the poor people of color while doing just the opposite. For example, reducing money for public school education, breaking the teacher’s union and using money for public education to fund voucher and charter schools has left a number of public schools in poor neighborhoods in distress. Instead of funding poor performing public schools the State is considering a bill that would take away these public schools and turn them over to County Executive to be privatized.

The public transportation system in poor neighbors of people of color,living in high unemployment areas, is deteriorating, leaving the poor usually without cars, no way to get to work. The city’s response is to build an expensive trolley system in the downtown area where the wealthy are returning after removal of the poor. The State’s response is to build bigger expressways so tourist and suburban people can get in and out of city faster.

This type of racism, the imagined superiority of white and people of power, dictating what is good for the poor in central city, like “data driving police” rather than reducing police stops without justification of black and brown persons, is the new face of racism. How do we change this type of racism without resorting to violence of those who do not have a voice?

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