Photo credit: Tom Jenz
Thomas Andrew Spencer is a social worker in Milwaukee that also owns some low income housing units.
Thomas Andrew Spencer said to me, “Good afternoon,” and released an engaging laugh through a broad grin. He was instantly likable. We talked. Thomas told me he was a social worker and had been raised in the central city near Center Street and Hadley, then later on 27th and Vienna. Danger dominates those neighborhoods now.
“I’m not a radical,” he said, “but I support Black Lives Matter. There are a lot of things in the Black community that need changing. I’ve been a social worker my whole career, in California, Florida and now Wisconsin. Being a social worker is a good calling. The rewards can be magnificent when you see change.”
I asked, “What are the biggest social problems you encounter?”
“Drugs and alcohol,” he said. “There are addicts that start out at maybe 14 years old or even younger. When you mix drugs and alcohol with poverty, you have a problem. I focus on working with people to see they get services to help them give up their substance habits. I get myself deep into working with my clients.”
I said, “You told me you are also an entrepreneur. How did you get into the business world?”
“I saw the need for low income housing,” Thomas explained. “My wife and I talked about buying some properties and renting the rooms and serving meals. Just go to the Martin Luther King Park and you’ll see people sleeping in tents and getting free meals with outreach missions. We decided to help these people. My brother and other family members came on board. We got into buying and developing properties, then renting them out at an affordable price. But I still do social work. I’m getting my Substance Abuse Counselor certificate so I can counsel my clients in depth.”
Before we parted, I asked if he was related to the new Milwaukee City Attorney, Tearman Spencer, who is the first Black citizen to hold that office. Thomas said, “He happens to be my uncle,” and he again laughed. I was thinking that his clients must look forward to seeing him, a bright light to penetrate their shadows.
Central City Stories is a collection of visual narratives from Milwaukee's central city by writer and fine arts photographer Tom Jenz. You can see more of his work at TomJenzAmerica.com.
