Photo credit: Quinn Clark
Darius Smith holds up a poster designed by the American Institute of Graphic Arts at UW-Milwaukee that perfectly sums up the unifying message of the march.
Charles McCoy was a junior at Bay View High School when he took a liking to one of the seniors, Darius Smith, a “cool, older guy” who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. When the two learned that they shared the same taste in music and fashion, they became close friends ever since. After 2007, the pair went on different paths in life, but have come together again to help unite Milwaukee, one of the most segregated cities in the United States.
“I have lived in a couple other states and a couple other countries, but I came back to Milwaukee because I really do have a love for Milwaukee,” McCoy said. “I have seen how inclusive the world is, and I kind of wanted to try to bring that back into my hometown as much as I could.”
Photo credit: Quinn Clark
Darius Smith tells the crowd of protesters to look out for each other and get to know one another. Nex to him, Charles McCoy holds up a sign that says “we are one.”
McCoy and Smith organized a march on Sept. 13 called “Come Together, Stand Together for Change” starting at the North Point Water Tower to continue their work to bring together Milwaukee residents regardless of their background or which part of the city they’re from. A group of about 100 people gathered at the nearby fountain with protest signs, water to share and even homemade oatmeal cookies.
Andrew Nettesheim, member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts at UW-Milwaukee, handed out posters designed by his group that promoted the message: “We are One.” A sea of “we are one” signs could be seen throughout the march and scattered throughout the city as he ran up to bystanders to hand them a sign.
Photo credit: Quinn Clark
Charles McCoy leads the group down North Ave. chanting, “Black lives matter.”
Recognize the Disparities
The march’s purpose was also to recognize the disparities there are between black and white people in Milwaukee. McCoy’s everyday life experiences remind him of why he must speak out against racism. He’s a former third grade teacher and a United States military veteran; however, he says many people don’t take the time to learn that before misjudging him based on the color of his skin. “Like going in the store, they don’t treat me fairly until I pull out my veteran’s ID,” McCoy said. “Before, my tattoos and my dark hat and my brown skin made you look at me all around the store.”
|
|
McCoy says that there needs to be more evenly distributed resources among all sides of Milwaukee, and one area should not be more policed than others. “Like in my community more on the North Side, you may see maybe three to four police cars ride by every four to five minutes,” McCoy said. “Whereas if I'm on another side of town, I can sit outside on my front porch and do whatever I want to do and no one has anything to say.”
Smith is the owner of The Locals Gallery, an art gallery in Bay View. As an artist, he says that the most important thing to him is working with the community. “One thing I always tell people, especially with the North Side of Milwaukee, is, ‘There’s no art stores on the North Side of Milwaukee. None’,” Smith said. “So, for me, my biggest thing has always been giving people guidance.”
According to Smith, he’s always gone against the grain when it comes to societal norms. He encourages others to do so, too, by exploring Milwaukee and leaving their comfort zone to help bring the city closer together. “I had a daughter when I was 18,” Smith continued. “So a lot of stuff that I'm striving for are things I want to be better for my daughter. I want people to come out here and understand, like, ‘Hey, I'm a person just like you because I want a better future for my daughter.’”
He’s also an advocate for being open about and receiving help for one’s mental health. He didn’t know mental health was even a real issue until he became an adult, and he wants to help end that stigma. “It's a big stigma in the black community,” Smith said. “If you need to talk to a therapist, you're crazy, you know, so it's a big stigma within our community with mental health and that's why I want to raise awareness.”
Photo credit: Quinn Clark
A group of around 100 people bands together to promote a message of equality and unity in Milwaukee, one of the most segregated cities in the United States.
Honking in Support
Although the march was smaller than the ones McCoy and Smith have planned in the past, their chants still rang loudly as cars passing by honked in support. Smith banded the group together, making sure they looked out for one another. “I want everybody to leave at least knowing somebody that they didn’t know before they got here so we can keep this conversation going,” Smith announced to the group.
The group walked to Whitefish Bay and circled back to the North Point Water Tower. As they walked past bystanders and people watching from their homes, Smith urged them to join in on chants such as, “Black lives matter” and “Black is beautiful.”
This was McCoy and Smith’s third march together, but the pair have been a part of planning other events in the community, like the Black is Beautiful Bike Ride. They recognize that as daily life goes back to normal, and the weather gets colder, it can be harder to get people together for change. However, McCoy says they’re prepared for it. “Our voices will not be smothered due to cold weather because we live in the Midwest,” McCoy said. “We're still gonna vote. We're still gonna march, we're still going to preach. We're still going to scream, ‘Black lives matter’ every day.”
To read about other marches and demonstrations in Milwaukee, click here.
To read more articles by Quinn Clark, click here.
