Our Statement on Racial Injustice
Dear Partners, Friends, and Neighbors,
Like you, Menomonee Valley Partners are broken-hearted by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others before them, and the pain institutional racism has caused in our nation.
The long history of the Valley reflects this pain: from the forceful removal of the Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Odawa, Sauk, Fox, and other tribes who had called the lands surrounding the Valley home since the 1600s, to the 200 nights of marches in 1967-68 that crossed the Valley, the divide between Milwaukee's black and white communities, in protest of the city's racial discrimination and housing segregation, to the unrest in the city.
We continue to think about what matters in making needed changes in our community. Listening matters. Empathy matters. Supporting those hurting matters. Recognizing injustice matters. Black Lives Matter.
MVP is committed to improving our work in ways that matter. Listening to all those we serve. Deepening partnerships that support social justice in our work. Recognizing, personally and professionally, where we should lead and where we should support; and being accountable to ourselves and to you for working toward inclusivity and justice in the work we do.
As first steps, MVP has committed to the following:
requiring annual racial justice training for all employees;
evaluating all our policies and procedures to ensure more inclusive workplace practices; and,
providing social justice and workplace equity programming open to all Valley employees.
MVP joined a national coalition to develop training programs that forge a more racially inclusive future for manufacturing. The coalition was launched by The Century Foundation (TCF), the Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA), and seven other urban workforce development organizations. Read more.
While these are immediate steps we will take, it is by no means an inclusive list, but the next steps on a continuing path.
MVP's mission is to ensure the Menomonee River Valley advances economic, ecological, and social equity for the Milwaukee community. We are committed to work, internally and externally to achieve that mission. We thank you for your support of this work over the years, and welcome your ongoing guidance as we walk this path as a community.
~ MVP Staff & Board of Directors
UPDATE: March 2021
As of March 2021, we have taken a number of steps to better inform and empower our team as well as share information with the Valley community. In holding ourselves accountable for a more just future, we’re sharing our efforts and, as always, appreciate your feedback to help us do better:
MVP is hosting a Public Ally in Water Justice thanks to the Fund for Lake Michigan. Public Allies is a social justice organization committed to changing the face and practice of leadership by recruiting and training talented young leaders, with a passion for social impact, to create meaningful change in our community.
All staff are participating in an eight-session racial justice training with Cream City Conservation through our Public Allies partnership. All staff have pursued additional training through YWCA and other partners as well.
Established Valley Talks Diversity Discussions for Valley businesses, monthly exchanges that provide an opportunity for powerful conversations that focus on topics around diversity and inclusion that impact the workplace.
Established Building Equitable Leaders, a six-week training program to help leaders within Valley businesses to better understand multicultural issues faced by employees
Announced JobUp Milwaukee, a skills training opportunity that can help Valley employees broaden their skillset and move up the career ladder. This program is a partnership between MATC, MVP, Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership, and YWCA Southeast Wisconsin.
