Photo courtesy of First Unitarian Society Of Milwaukee
Cesar Cornier is social justice coordinator at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee.
Cesar Cornier has been the social justice coordinator at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee (1342 N. Astor St.) since September, but he’s always had one goal: to empower the people of Milwaukee, particularly those in brown and black neighborhoods. Along with his passion for advocacy, he is a musician and finds multiple ways to integrate the two. He agreed to talk with Off the Cuff.
Can you tell me about your role as a social justice coordinator?
I was placed in that role by Public Allies. Their motto is “everyone leads,” and the program basically focuses on getting diverse leaders in different non-profit and community organizations throughout Milwaukee, specifically working on social justice. First Unitarian has an immigration action group, an environmental justice group, they work with Black Lives Matter, and we have an interchange food pantry. I’m in charge of all that. I was born and raised on the South Side of Milwaukee, so the Latino culture and community is something really close to my heart. I see a lot of needs there and there can even be lots of resources, but there’s a lot of silos, so it’s my job to connect the resources to the people.
Where were you before First Unitarian?
I’m actually a musician of 14 years and an actor, so I was acting in Chicago for the past three years.
Do you find that music or other art forms are ways to empower a social justice message?
Definitely. I use my music to plug into that social justice action. I’m the developmental coordinator with the Wisconsin Hip Hop Chess Club. Every Tuesday at 817 W. National Ave., from 6-8 p.m., we have a safe space for kids to come, no questions asked, and they learn how to play chess and make beats, and free dinner is provided. It’s interracial and intergenerational.
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Do you have a favorite moment from that?
To be honest, every week is a blessing. People ask me what I give the kids, and to be honest, I don’t know what we give the kids besides a building, some food and some chessboards. I see myself in those kids a lot, and I look at the trouble that I used to get into doing things in the ’hood. A lot of it was because of the idleness that we see in the South Side and the inner-city where kids don’t have anything to do and don’t have a place to go. It’s turned into a supportive mentor structure for the kids: they know us, they debrief us, they tell us what’s going on in their lives. We’re building this trust and this safe space. It’s evolved to 35 kids and families.
What are some future goals?
I would like to see more empowerment in the black and brown community of Milwaukee. By empowerment, I mean not only bringing resources but letting them know what resources are available. Being a social justice coordinator is a blessing, but I’m also the only person of color in all the staff, so another thing I’m moving toward is representation. In my congregation, the demographic is traditionally older, white people. Me, being a rapper, they’ve been a supportive and welcoming community where I can be expressive in my own culture and art.
A good example is, about a month ago, when I performed a little rap verse at that church. That building has been around since maybe 1838, and that’s the first time they’ve ever had a person of color with a mic rap! It’s things like that, things changing the white supremacy structure and the culture. I’m going to be doing a panel called Hip Hop Helps in June where I’m going to be talking to the congregation, who’s very unfamiliar with hip-hop, about how it started in the ’80s and then, moving forward, how it directly correlates with community engagement. The reason I’m talking with you now is because of hip-hop—the knowledge, the empowerment and the tools it provided me. I think it’s important to let people know how valuable it is.
