Living Legends: Celebrate Milwaukee's Black Excellence

Marvin Pratt

Former Mayor (2004), School Superintendent, Milwaukee Common Council President (2000 - 2004) and VISIT Milwaukee Board Member
 

In 1968, after receiving an honorable discharge from service, Pratt enrolled at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he obtained his B.A. in political science in 1972.
 
 After graduation, Pratt began his political career as an intern for Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier. Pratt ran for his first political seat as an alderman on the Common Council in 1984; he lost that election to Roy B. Nabors. Pratt ran again in a 1986 special election for the same seat and won. Upon his election to Alderman, Pratt was appointed to the Finance and Personnel Committee. As a committee member, one of the initiatives that Pratt worked on was the Residents Preference Program, which helped to create employment opportunities for City of Milwaukee residents. In 1996, he was elected chairman of that committee, a position he held until 2000. In 2000, Pratt was elected as the Milwaukee Common Council president. Pratt remained in that position until 2004. In 2004, when Mayor John Norquist stepped down, Pratt was appointed as the acting mayor of Milwaukee, the first African American to hold that position. However, Pratt lost the mayoral election in 2004 to Tom Barrett. In 2006, Pratt began his own consulting firm, Marvin Pratt and Associates LLC, which specialized in consulting and government relations. In 2011, he was elected as interim Milwaukee county executive, making him the first person to hold both the position of mayor and county executive in Milwaukee.

TyShun Wardlaw

Director, "Growing Up Milwaukee"
 

Tyshun Wardlaw is a director, producer and entrepreneur.  She started her company, Wardlaw Productions, in 2015.  She has won the McDonald's "My Community "Award at the 20th Annual American Black Film Festival for her short film, Be The Seed.  Her film "Growing Up Milwaukee" follows three inner-city youth growing up in Milwaukee who struggle with the daily dilemma of growing up Black and avoiding becoming just another statistic. 

Dr. Tito Izard

President & CEO, Milwaukee Health Services
 

Dr. Izard is a first-generation college student. He graduated from Marquette University with an undergraduate degree in social work and then went to medical school, an uncommon path for a physician.

Now, Izard, 51, goes to work each day about a mile from where he grew up on Port Washington Road and Capitol Drive. To hear him tell it, it's a blessing to do what he does. Dr. Izard serves as president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee Health Services. He believes that working at the MLK Heritage Health Center is a constant reminder of where he came from and the need for these services in the community. The clinic is community-focused, and residents from the neighborhood sit on the clinic's board. Dr. Izard works hard to ensure that his patients' needs are met. Sometimes, that means spending extra time to explain things they don't understand. In his work as an executive, this may mean connecting them to resources to help them improve their lives.

Dalvery Blackwell

Co-Founder/Executive Director, African American Breastfeeding Network
 

Dalvery Blackwell grew up in Milwaukee, and her mom still lives at our family home on 25th in Center in the 53206 zip code. She is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee, where she studied Communications/Journalism. After graduating, Dalvery interned at the Advocacy Institute in Washington, DC. 

Beginning her career in maternal infant health, she worked at the Black Health Coalition of WI under the leadership of Dr. Patricia McManus. She was there for ten years, and it wasn’t until she birthed her first child, Sequoia, that she realized what her mission work would be. She co-founded the African American Breastfeeding Network in 2008 to improve maternal child health and champion breastfeeding equity by advocating policy change, partnering with community allies, and implementing community-based, family-centered, culturally tailored health education and support services.

Reggie Jackson

Griot, Co-Owner of Nurturing Diversity Partners, and award-winning author
 

Reggie Jackson is a nationally heralded independent scholar and much sought-after speaker, researcher, writer and consultant to the media on race relations. He helps institutions and individuals understand how our country’s racial hierarchy developed historically, its impact on our lives today and how we can realize America’s promise for all its citizens. Reggie shares seldom-told stories and data about the experiences of African-Americans and other peoples of color past and present.

Reggie has an amazing capacity to read, research and absorb American history. He has a talent for synthesizing the material to make it compelling and meaningful for youth and adults from diverse racial/ethnic, socio-economic and educational backgrounds.

Kwabena Antoine Nixon

Author, poet, radio personality and CEO of Be Inspired Works
 

Kwabena Antoine Nixon is a nationally known spoken word artist, writer, educator, organizer and motivational speaker. Born and raised on Chicago’s west side, known in the 80s as the gangbang capital of the world, Kwabena lost his father to street violence at the age of 11. From his early teens, well into his days as a young adult black man, Antoine (as he was known then) struggled, like many of that time, to find his voice and his purpose. He moved to Milwaukee to escape a lifestyle many of his closest friends and family had fallen prey to. He found his voice in art. Still looking for his place and purpose, after completing a Rites of Passage program, he made the transformation to Kwabena when a local community elder gave him the name meaning “Inspirator.” Since then, Kwabena has dedicated his life’s work to inspiring not just a generation but a movement. 

Homer Blow

Program Director, WNOV Radio

Born & raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, like most DJs, Homer Blow developed a love for music in my early years. But even then, he had no idea of the gift God gave him that he was blessed with. It became a career for Homer in his Mid-Teens. In High School (Washington High School), he was on Student Council and Human Relations, where he perfected his people skills. Homer learned he was a natural-born leader ready to take charge. He went from the basement to the clubs to corporate events. Home has DJed at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Italian Community Center, MPD's League Of Martin, MFD, Milwaukee Mental Health Services, Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation and more.

He joined the WNOV Family in June of 91," and currently serves as the Program Director/Music Director of WNOV & Blowradio.com. He has been awarded 16 Consecutive (Milwaukee Area) "DJ of the Year Awards" and the 2012 National & International "Global Spin Award Nominee." He's worked to develop many artists and help share their music with local and national audiences. So you can say Homer's a Mover & Shaker. He's a Proud 32nd Degree Prince Hall Mason and a Shriner. Also a Core Dj's Worldwide member, he has helped our youth by hosting an annual "Homer Blow's B-Day Party For The Kids" for 25 years and counting! Homer's DJed & given motivational speeches at MPS, CYD, SDC, YMCA's, United States of America Boys & Girls Clubs, Safe Nites and more.

Andre Lee Ellis

Activist, Owner, Community Agricultural Growing Experience (CAGE)
 

Andre Lee Ellis is owner of the Community Agricultural Growing Experience (CAGE), which aims to grow food and provide resources and programming that will enhance everyday living of all people.

Derek Moseley, JD

Former Chief Judge, Director - Lubar Center for Public Policy Research

Derek Mosley spent 20 years as a Milwaukee municipal judge before joining Marquette. The self-described foodie enjoys having a seat at the table for Milwaukee’s award-winning restaurant scene. Moreover, he loves the city’s diversity, and how it makes this a place with something for everyone.

But for all of the development through the years, Mosley is particularly thankful for what hasn’t been developed. “We’ve created green spaces next to the lake,” Mosley said, “so it can be enjoyed by people and not high rises.” Milwaukee is home to more than 150 public parks, including three designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also happened to design New York City’s Central Park. They are gems not to be missed.

Sharlen Moore

Community Advocate and Executive Director, Urban Underground
 

Sharlen is a co-founder and Director of Urban Underground and has over 27 years of experience working with youth. She has previously been involved in youth education and development work in Milwaukee as a staff member with the YMCA for over ten years – serving as a camp counselor, lifeguard, and Leaders Club founder. She has served as a Youth Work Organizer with the Boys and Girls Club and a life skills trainer for the Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges-College Readiness 21 program, MPS, and a wide range of community-based organizations. She has also done countless trainings in and out of the city for program staff, youth, teachers, college students, and parents. Sharlen also serves on the advisory board of Employ Milwaukee and participates in a variety of coalitions.

Chief Jeffrey Norman

Milwaukee Chief of Police
 

Chief Jeffrey B. Norman was appointed to the Milwaukee Police Department in 1996.  As an officer, Chief Norman served in District 1, District 2, and the Technical Communications Division until his promotion to detective in 2002.  As a detective, he served in the Robbery Division, Violent Crimes Division and Homicide Division until his promotion to lieutenant in 2010.  As a lieutenant, he served in the Property Crimes Division, Metropolitan Division (Robbery Task Force, Homicide Unit and Cold Case Unit) and District 5 as the dayshift commander. Promoted to captain in 2017, he commanded the Inspections Division and District 3.  In 2020, he was promoted to Assistant Chief.

Chief Norman was the executive commander of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.  The Criminal Investigation Bureau oversees the Homicide, Special Investigation, Violent Crimes, General Crimes, Sensitive Crimes, Fusion and Forensic Divisions.  Chief Norman was the former commander of District 3; where he instituted robust community engagement for his team, a mission he still holds today.   Chief Norman was also the former commander of the Inspections Division.  The Inspections Division operates the Inspection, Accreditation, Audit and CJIS Compliance Units.  Chief Norman oversaw the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG) accreditation standards for the department and ensured districts and divisions were regularly audited and inspected for compliance according to departmental policies and procedures, national law enforcement best practices, and federal, state, and local law.

On December 23, 2020, he was appointed to serve as the Acting Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department.

On November 15, 2021, Chief Norman was sworn in as the Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department.

Martha Love

Vice Chair, Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission
Owner, Martha Love Association B, LLC
 

Martha Love has been a community activist, political organizer and labor leader in Milwaukee County for over 37 years. Love was an AFSCME union representative who fought hard to ensure equal treatment for career workers. Her extensive experience includes past chairman of the state and county Democratic party. Sitting on many community and national boards, Love is currently the owner of a community relations outreach business.

Love’s goals are to continue fighting for justice as one of Milwaukee’s black history makers. Her career has provided her the opportunity to make great strides toward her goals for the community.

She is working on a campaign to help protect children from the dangers of human trafficking through her television program, “What Going On “Public Access Television series. A major community issue throughout the state of Wisconsin, human trafficking often targets youth between 11 and 14. Through her efforts to create "What Going On" and volunteering with the Human Trafficking Task Force of Greater Milwaukee, Love has helped create awareness about the epidemic of sex trafficking in Wisconsin.

Love has a great deal of respect for Milwaukee County, and although retired, she will continue to work diligently to have an impact on the community.

Howard Fuller

Former MPS Superintendent
Founder, Milwaukee Collegiate Academy
Civil Rights Activist

Howard Fuller is the director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University and the co–founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. He has dedicated his career to improving educational opportunities for low–income African–American children. He is nationally known as a proponent of programs that increase parents’ choices for their children’s education, such as charter schools and private school voucher programs.

Source: Encyclopedia.com

Michelle Bryant

Community Activist
Radio Personality, WNOV
Political Director

Michelle Bryant is currently a Political Director with a local campaign. A former Budget and Policy Director for a Wisconsin State Senator, Bryant staffed her Senator on the state’s powerful Joint Committee on Finance. Previous positions include Political Director with Mary Burke for the Wisconsin Gubernatorial campaign, Executive Director for African World Festival, Ltd., Chief of Staff with the Wisconsin State Senate, Policy Analyst, and Legislative Staff. In addition, she has worked for over 20 years with public and private organizations to provide ongoing training around issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Bryant is a trusted facilitator who has developed and provided training, seminars, and curriculum to address issues of affirmative action, transgender work policies, diversity, and cross-cultural communication.

Dannette Justus

Chief Executive Officer, JustUs and Books
 

Dannette Justus is an Emmy Award-winning teacher-turned-YouTuber! She is also the Positively Milwaukee Educator of the Year for 2022. She’s taught elementary grades in Milwaukee Public Schools for the past 31 years and has served as an Academic Coach. Her love for books led her to launch her very own YouTube channel, JustUs and Books where she currently has 100+ read alouds. Dannette has received more than 1,000 views on over ten different read alouds on her channel.” Ms. Justus goes the extra mile to help bring a "culture and love of reading" to her students. Because of Dannette, her inner-city students have traveled to a pizza parlor, MLB baseball diamond, NFL football stadium and an NBA arena...where she connected her love for literacy with landmarks across Milwaukee and Wisconsin! 

Dasha Kelly Hamilton

2020-2022 Wisconsin Poet Laureate
Artist of the Year and Poet Laureate, City of Milwaukee
 

Dasha Kelly Hamilton is a writer, performance artist, curator and facilitator. Ultimately, she’s a creative change agent, leveraging the creative process toward human and social wellness.

Dasha has written for national, regional, and local magazines; produced three books of poetry; recorded four spoken word albums; published two novels and an award-winning collection of micro-stories; been included in several anthologies; and performed in the last season of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. Her nonprofit, Still Waters Collective, initiated literary arts programming for 20 years, creating platforms for thousands of voices to be honored and heard. She has taught at colleges, conferences and classrooms and curated fellowships for emerging leaders.

An Arts Envoy for the U.S. Embassy, Dasha has facilitated community-building initiatives in Botswana, Toronto, Mauritius and Beirut. She is a former Artist of the Year and Poet Laureate for the City of Milwaukee and the 2020-2022 Poet Laureate for the State of Wisconsin. Dasha is a national Rubinger Fellow and a National Laureate Fellow with the American Academy of Poets. Touring nationally, her stage production, Makin’ Cake, uniquely engages communities in a forward dialogue on race, class and equity.

Dasha is working on her third novel, a collection of poems with incarcerated writers and a documentary film. 

Kamar Carter

Owner, House of Vitali-Tea

Kamar Carter is the owner of the House of Vitali-Tea, a shop offering an assortment of herbal supplements and remedies in Sherman Phoenix Marketplace. Officially opened in 2023, the shop is celebrating its first year of success in the Sherman Park neighborhood incubator. Prior to the launch of the House of Vitali-Tea at Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, Kamar has been a longtime purveyor of herbal remedies from teas and smoothies to detox products in Milwaukee, selling his supplements at popup events throughout the area. Carter is a lifelong Milwaukeean, attending Alexander Hamilton High School in the city's Root Creek neighborhood.

Ruben W. Hopkins

Founder and CEO, Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce 

A 14-year military veteran, Ruben founded the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce. Concerned with the lack of business engagement and for the future of the black community, for more than ten years, he has been positioning the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce to take a more active leadership role in improving the quality of life in black communities throughout the State of Wisconsin.

Nikki Purvis

President and CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce

Purvis is a native Milwaukeean and an alumna of Riverside University High School, Marquette University and Cardinal Stritch University. In addition, she received certificates of completion from Cardinal Stritch University, Morgan State University and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education.

Walter Jack Lanier

President, African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee (AALAM)
Lawyer, Pastor, Educator, Social Entrepreneur 

Walter Lanier is a husband, father, lawyer, pastor, teacher, educator and social entrepreneur with a deep commitment to being a liberating force in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lanier, an inaugural CBMA fellow, is the Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church of Milwaukee, with a 30-year track record of innovation and service to the Milwaukee community. Pastor Lanier also serves as the Director of Student Resources at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he also founded the college’s Men of Color Initiative and led the first-ever Counseling and Psychological Services department.  

He currently serves on various community boards, including the Milwaukee Community Justice Council, Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope, and Housing Ministries of the American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin. Lastly, he is the Chairman of the Board for Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., a federally qualified health center serving patients in Milwaukee’s inner city.

Phil Calvert

Milwaukee Influencer @Philwaukee, Travel Host

A native Milwaukeean, Phil grew up on the north side of the city and attended Greendale High School as part of a program that took inner-city kids to outlying areas for school. Through this experience – he cultivated the travel mentality that he uses today on his social media channels to promote positive interactions with cultures around the world.

Ajamou Butler

Founder, Heal the Hood
Author
Founder DEI Facilitator, Self-Empowerment Lecturer and Keynote Speaker, A. Butler, LLC.

With more than 11 years in the industry, Ajamou Butler has grown to become an international expert in the academic as well as behavioral development of children of color and children who come from underprivileged communities. Butler has used his experience as a 10+ year statewide non-profit leader, a world traveler and an author to develop his own unique teaching and facilitation styles where audiences are sure to learn through laughter. Through using spoken word, trauma-informed care practices, and community cultivation, Butler leaves his audiences informed and inspired!

Corry Joe Biddle

Vice President, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce

Corry Joe serves as the vice president of Community Affairs for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), promoting the association’s mission to improve metro Milwaukee as a place to invest capital, grow business and create jobs. She is also the executive director of FUEL Milwaukee, the MMAC’s talent attraction and retention organization serving young professionals. Corry Joe is responsible for the oversight and development of programs, services and events benefiting FUEL’s members and corporate sponsors. She’s also involved in the development of MMAC’s workplace talent initiative, “Making Milwaukee a Region of Choice for Diverse Talent,” which seeks to increase the numbers of African American and Latino/Hispanic professionals in leadership roles.

She is formerly the executive director of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, Corry Joe offers a unique perspective on the relationship between diversity, economic development and community engagement.

Corry Joe graduated from Mount Mary College with degrees in business administration and professional writing and earned a leadership certificate from the Cardinal Stritch African American Leadership Program. She is the recipient of the U.S. Postal Service’s Growing Leadership Award, has been honored as one of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 and was also named a “Rad Woman” by the Greater Milwaukee Women’s Fund.

Ranell Washington

Vice President, Social X MKE

Advocate for all things related to economic development and wealth creation via business ownership, Ranell Washington is currently a partnership development advisor at American Family Insurance. Ranell obtained a BS in Finance and Marketing, and a Certificate in Real Estate from (Thee) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (#UDubb #PantherProud). Known amongst his peers as the unofficial Mayor of Milwaukee, he is a champion of and for all things Milwaukee. A volunteer for Secure Futures, which educates high school students about financial literacy, a founding board member at Milwaukee Excellence Charter School and corporate communications coordinator for Black Lens MKE, a pillar of Milwaukee Film. Ranell enjoys all things related to finance, higher education, and the arts.

Ray Allen

Former Milwaukee Bucks SG, 2x NBA Champion, 10x NBA All-Star

With a dedicated routine and strict attention to detail, Ray Allen became one of the most prolific shooters in basketball history. High-volume scoring made Allen a consensus First-Team All-American and Big East Player of the Year while at the University of Connecticut. In seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Allen established himself as a three-point marksman, earning him a spot on the All-NBA Third Team in 2001. After playing in three All-Star Games with the Bucks, Allen joined the Supersonics in 2003, where he would go on to set career-high numbers in scoring, rebounding and assists, leading to four more All-Star appearances in Seattle. Alongside Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Allen took home his first NBA championship in 2008 as a member of the Boston Celtics. His winning ways continued in 2013 when he hit a game-tying three-point basket in the final seconds of Game 6 for the Miami Heat, forcing overtime and an eventual Game 7, where Allen would capture his second championship. Retiring as the all-time leader in three-point field goals, Allen’s 19-year career proved to be a model of consistency and inspiration for young players.