County Executive Chris Abele Statement on Creation of Office on African American Affairs

MILWAUKEE – County Executive Chris Abele released the following statement in response to today’s Board action on the Office on African American Affairs:

“I want to thank the County Board for unanimously supporting the mission of the Office on African American Affairs today.

“At my inauguration, I put a stake in the ground and defined an agenda for my second full term that prioritizes making significant progress on the racial inequities that plague our communities. I am confident that the County Board will be trusted, valuable partners on this critical mission, and I am encouraged that so many supervisors have already been able to meet with my office to discuss our efforts over the past several months.

“At the Board’s suggestion, I am creating the Office on African American Affairs as a new and distinct Department within County government in order to emphasize the importance of the Office and its mission. I look forward to the Board Chairman scheduling this item as quickly as possible so that supervisors have the opportunity to release the funding that’s been budgeted for the Office.

“In the meantime, we have continued to move the Office on African American Affairs forward.

“Although Milwaukee’s racial inequities are complex, a key component to any meaningful strategy involves jobs. As a crucial first step to advancing a strategy on jobs, we conducted an analysis of the workforce development programs within County government. I’m proud to say that the County serves more than 1,100 individuals annually through its various programs, including basic education, work readiness and job search, job training and coaching, work supports, and job placements.

“Once supervisors vote to release funding for the Office on African American Affairs we can hire staff and really take the County’s workforce development efforts to the next level through a comprehensive strategy with defined goals, long-term objectives, expected outcomes, and an explicit focus on reducing Milwaukee’s racial disparities in employment.

“I will continue to aggressively fight to support the mission of the Office and I look forward to finding more partners and solutions as we all work together to address Milwaukee’s racial disparities once and for all.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.