By Nyesha Stone
State Rep. David Crowley
The Black community needs people like us to represent us because no one knows our struggles like us. When more Black individuals are elected into higher positions, they then have the power to handle the issues and struggles the government and state usually ignore.
State Representative David Crowley is from Milwaukee; he faced the issues of the city head on. “Being Black in Milwaukee, it’s hard to believe someone’s fighting on your behalf,” he said.
Crowley has been elected and will the chair of Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus, where he’ll continue fighting for the people of the state. Crowley said the Caucus will focus on a multitude of legislation, such as access to childcare, decriminalization of marijuana and access to transportation— to name a few. It’s too early to state all that the Caucus will do or plan on doing, he said. But at all times, the Caucus will be “Unapologetically Black,” with their actions.
It feels nice to have a “governor willing to work with us and we’re going to take advantage of that,” he said. The Caucus will be holding Gov. Tony Evers and other government leaders accountable, and so should the rest of the community, he said.
Crowley said he can make a list of all the issues plaguing Milwaukee, such as high poverty rates, low graduation rates and lack of transportation, issues we are all familiar with.
“We cannot let anyone discuss the issues of Wisconsin without addressing the issues of the Black community,” said Crowley.
He said the Caucus will be fighting for the Black community, but the community has to help fight with them. That means going to the town hall meetings, calling your local alderman and being proactive when you have an issue.
“The election is over, but the campaigning doesn’t end,” said Crowley.
Wisconsinites, including the Black community, need to realize how much Black Wisconsinites contribute to the state’s economy and start including us in the resources, he said.
Next month, the Black Caucus will be hosting a variety of events for Black History Month. The first event starts on Feb. 1.
To find out more about their upcoming events, click here and fill out the contact form.
