Derek Mosley, Champion of Civil Discourse

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Photo by Tom Jenz

Derek Moseley

Derek Moseley

Derek Mosley is one of the most well-known influencers in Milwaukee. Lawyer, municipal judge for 22 years, lecturer, foodie, restaurant critic and historian, Mosley is truly a man for all seasons with a distinguished career in public service. Since 2023, he has been the director of the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette University Law School.

Mosley grew up on Chicago’s south side. His dad was an engineer for Illinois Bell. His mom was a secretary at Governors State University. He graduated from Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights and did his undergraduate college degree in Iowa. In 1992, he received a full ride scholarship for Marquette Law School where he graduated in 1995. Brimming with charm, he exudes an attitude built on optimism. His laugh is contagious. 

You were a municipal judge for over 22 years, but since 2023, you have been at Marquette University Law School. What does the Lubar Center do? And describe your responsibilities as director.

In my opinion, we don’t talk to each other anymore in this country. What I mean is that there is no such thing as civil discourse. If you disagree with someone, it can sometimes turn to violence or name-calling. The Lubar Center was founded so that people can have discussions where they might disagree but make their points in a civil manner. We are kind of like a Milwaukee town hall.

How do the discussions work? Do you conduct seminars on different subjects for people to engage one another?

Yes. We focus on several topics including education, public safety, public policy and water. One topic is called “On the Issue,” where we pick an issue important to the Milwaukee area, for example, museum and arts funding and how Wisconsin ranks toward the bottom in the U.S. We bring in arts community people to each talk about their issues. For the other topics, we’ve brought in the police chief, the fire chief and also the county executive—in other words, people in power. The format is a Q & A between my guest and me. Everybody from the community is invited. We do these programs at the Lubar Center over the lunch hour, and we provide lunches for everyone.  

Right now, we are sitting in that very Lubar Center, a beautiful lecture hall that seats probably over 200. 

This lecture hall is a wonderful venue for these discussions, but if you can’t make it here in person, we live stream each program and record it.

Not long after you took the job, you said, “The Lubar Center is a place where we’re going to have civil discourse interactions. That’s my goal, to break down barriers and get people talking.”  Have you been getting people talking through intelligent civil discourse? 

Along with my program manager, Hilary DeBlois, we plan out our year. Beside “On the Issue,” we have an event called “Get to Know.” I got the idea from a veteran African American Chicago reporter, Harry Porterfield. When I was young, I’d watch his TV program called “People You Should Know” in which Porterfield would talk about Chicago citizens doing great things. In “Get to Know,” I invite people from the community to talk about what they are doing that affect us every day. 

For instance, I brought in the port director, Jackie Carter, who is in charge of our Milwaukee Port, which is almost as big as Chicago’s in terms of tonnage. The port is an important economic engine in Milwaukee. And I also brought in Chris Corkery, who runs the Hundred Acre, a hydroponic indoor farm near 30th and Capital. Hundred Acre provides the salad mix to the best restaurants in the city. The third thing we do is our Ethnic Heritage Dinner where the motto is “Meet Someone, Learn Something and Try Everything.” I bring in chefs from various cultures to prepare meals for the community. We have done six dinners so far, all at The Ivy House. For example, the last one we put on featured cuisines from Korean, Hmong, Nepalese and Vietnamese. Guests are seated at tables with people they do not know. Our whole point is bringing people together from different economic backgrounds, political ideologies, races, and ethnicities, all to listen and learn from each other. Some of the best conversations happen over food, which tends to disarm people. 

You once stated, “Civil discourse for the purpose of enhancing understanding of public matters and concerns is lacking in Milwaukee and elsewhere.” Can you elaborate?

I don’t think people communicate with each other enough in Milwaukee. Generally, we surround ourselves with people who look and think like us. When we do that, we miss out on the beauty that makes Milwaukee great—different cultures. We don’t even live in the same neighborhoods, and our kids don’t go to the same schools. I’d like to bring cultures back together. We can’t solve problems if we are only hearing one side of an issue. The Lubar Center allows people to speak and also defend their “truths” without fear of reprisal or rejection.  

You give speeches and lectures about unconscious bias and Black history. What exactly is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias is a prejudice either for or against a group of people, and that bias is almost unconscious and may run contrary to our logic. The bias is learned and based on stereotypes. We all have some form of unconscious bias. Our brains are hardwired to help us make snap decisions, namely shortcuts. For example, take the term “black.” Blacks are a group of people with darker skin, but the color black has a negative connotation. Black magic, black market, blackballing, blacklisting and so on. These words have an unconscious effect on us as we grow up. In other words, we can make snap decisions by just hearing the word, black. As a result, whites and Blacks end up not talking to each other. For instance, we might develop unconscious prejudice when it comes to hiring employees.

From my own anecdotal experience, I’ve found that it is sometimes difficult to get Milwaukeeans nteracting with one another—Latinos, whites and Blacks. To quote you, “We don’t live in the same neighborhoods, but we’re all Milwaukee humans.” What can the Lubar Center do to help Milwaukee citizens engage one another?

One example is when we bring in chefs from various cultures to prepare meals for the community. I think food unites people. Even though we live in different places and look different, what we have in common is we need to eat. All our programs encourage people from different cultures to interact.

Crime in Milwaukee is a serious problem, especially in the central city. There is an impression among many white residents that the central city harbors lawbreakers. I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the inner city streets, and I can tell you that 99% of Black residents want safe neighborhoods. Is Milwaukee doing enough to control and prevent crime?

If you are asking about city leaders, I’d turn back the question to, “Are we as citizens doing enough to prevent crime?” For instance, we need better schools and better jobs, and that is up to us to provide private capital and incentives. But I will credit Milwaukee for providing services for those in need. And we currently have energetic young leaders, many who grew up in the central city.

I understand the Lubar Center is doing a lot for children, mainly children of color.

We have the program we call MEDAL: Medicine, Engineering, Dentistry, Architecture and Law. We bring in Milwaukee middle school students, 7th and 8th graders. We introduce the students to those five MEDAL disciplines. Every day for a week, we all meet here for a 9 a.m. to noon program. First, we ask each student to write down what he or she wants to do for a living and put that in an envelope. Then, the program begins. Monday is medicine, and we go to the Medical College of Wisconsin where kids meet med students, mostly of color. The students learn how to use the X-ray machine, and they do sonograms on a real person to find out about human organs. Tuesday is engineering day, and they go to MSOE and learn how to computer code. Wednesday is dentistry, and they go to the Marquette Dental School and meet Black dental students who make molds of their teeth. Thursday is architecture and the trades. The students go to MATC, and learn about architecture, carpentry, automotive, and culinary. Friday is law, and we give the students a supreme court case and teach them how to form a good argument. The kids even argue in front of judges. At the end of the MEDAL program, I open the envelopes, and we talk about how most of them had changed their minds about career choices.  

This all happens in one week in the summer?

Yes, but we also have an intense program for kids who like the law, our Summer Youth Institute that lasts several weeks. They learn public speaking and how to argue cases. When I was growing up, I did not even know Black lawyers existed until I saw a Black actor playing an attorney on “LA Law.” From that moment on, I wanted to be a lawyer.

Something I’ve noticed, and street leaders have confirmed this: Central city families often headed by just one parent, usually a mother, seem to have no plan. It’s like they live day to day without much thought to the future. This causes the lack of hope.

Absolutely. It’s the difference of living with a long-term plan for the future or living only for the next day.

OK then, what have you learned from all the years you had been a municipal judge doling out punishments mostly to young Black offenders?

Kids who are raised on love view the world differently than kids who are raised on survival.

Your mom told you, “To the world, we are just one person, but to one person, we can be the world.” That statement sat on your judge’s bench. What has it meant to you?

The world is a big place, and you think to yourself, “What can I do to make a difference?” The task is overwhelming. But if you focus on one person at a time, you can make a difference. My job at the Lubar Center is to make one person’s day more positive.