Photo Credit: Tom Jenz
Black activist Samuel Alford is the curator of the huge mural featuring Black leader portraits on 13th and Vliet Streets. Covering half of a city block, the mural is a spectacular work of art. He also curated other large murals along Holton Avenue near Riverwest. The 34 year old Alford is single and has been a Milwaukee activist for nine years starting with Occupy Wall Street and the Scott Walker recall in 2011, the Dontre Hamilton protests in 2014 and now the current Black Lives Matter movement.
He told me, “I grew up on the east side, 2nd and Auer. I was living with my mom for the first half of my childhood. When I was about 5, I was sexually molested by an older boy. My mom had a flaring temper and was unstable economically, and my father had anger issues and was diagnosed with a mental illness. I was placed with my grandmother, and she had a nice big house, and my child world got better. Then, God came into my life, and I had a lot of love.”
Becoming An Activist
Alford attended three different high schools. At North Division, he was influenced by an inspirational African American literature teacher, Rhonda Stingley, who motivated him to pursue his hip hop and rap poetry, his current passion. After high school, he did odd jobs, found solace in the Christian church, and he was saved. In 2008, he canvassed for Obama’s Presidential campaign. Later, he went to MATC for three years where he learned entrepreneurship and became a Black Student Union leader.
"In 2019, I was active with Liberate MKE in reducing the police budget,” he said. “We convinced the Common Council to reinvest $16 million from the police budget into community programs, housing, long term summer jobs I’m now on the advisory board of the African American roundtable. Milwaukee is 40% Black. There should be a vested interest in Black neighborhoods. In housing, there should be a move toward ownership for Black folks, but Black people should also take on responsibility, have more pride. Sad thing is some Black kids commit crimes because it’s the cool thing to do. Men need self respect, character, and values, and I think they get that from healthy male role models and from God. I’m not waitin’ for any white man. We just have to do it for ourselves.”
I brought up the current culture of hate. White against Black, and vice versa.
“My church,” he said, “the City of Light Church, is the most diverse church in the city. We have Blacks, Hmong, Latinos, Whites.”
Alford’s long term goal is to make films on activism including the protest events of 2020 and how it changed Black people. For now, he will continue his work as a Black activist.
He left me with, “Activists are like lawyers and politicians but without a salary.”
