Dear Mayor Barrett, I have been a supporter of yours since 1992, and today I’ve never been more disappointed in your leadership. My friends, my neighbors, my children, and I are all marching, and you have enabled the police and national guard to operate as an occupying military force that is treating our citizens as enemy combatants rather than concerned citizens…
Read more >This blog is also posted at The Collective Impact Forum with a downloadable tool. Status Quo is not an option. During the past month, many of us have had our lives and livelihoods completely upended. We have been forced to respond to emergencies in our work and for some of us, in our lives. For those of us still working,…
Read more >This blog was written for The Collective Impact Forum and is reprinted below. —- We are living in an unprecedented, unpredictable, and scary time. It is hard for all of us. After several conversations with colleagues and much reflection on how collective impact efforts respond, I hope the following thoughts and recommendations may be helpful. “It’s OK to not be…
Read more >For years, I have wanted to tour civil rights sites in Alabama. The Equal Justice Initiative’s new Legacy Museum and Peace and Justice Memorial grew that interest. The history is inspiring and it is heavy – the reminders that the struggle continues are everywhere. I’ve studied this history extensively, but I think anyone visiting would find it instructive, moving, and…
Read more >I am not a critic but love movies and with my travel and my wife’s shared interest, we see a lot. Here is my take on Oscars and the films I really enjoyed this year. My TV and Streaming list is here. My Oscar Picks I think the best film of 2019 was Parasite. Surprising and relevant film about class…
Read more >I spent 122 nights on the road last year, and between flights, hotel rooms, eliptical machines, and dining alone I get to read and watch a lot. I am not a cultural critic, I just watch a lot. Here is my TV and Streaming List (I’ll separately post my movie list). There was so much great TV this year. Best of…
Read more >As a companion to the case study I wrote, Funding the Long Game in Collective Impact, this webinar with Christina Ellis and Tim Meister of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment shares their insights, lessons, and some additional resources. This grant makers has created a promising model by partnering with 10 collective impact backbones to provide large 8-year long grants,…
Read more >I was grateful and honored that Public Allies Milwaukee invited me to their 25th anniversary celebration, and to join Executive Director Ashley Lee, Shawn Vega, and Amanda Clark (current Allies) in a story telling program facilitated by Megan McGee, the Public Allies alum who founded Ex Fabula. The night was magic with a room that was filled with diversity, energy,…
Read more >Harris Wofford’s death on Martin Luther King Day was fitting, even poetic. He was a pioneering champion of civil rights and national service. He inspired thousands of people to believe in and pursue big ideas, to serve causes larger than themselves. He was also a kind, curious, warm, thoughtful, and beloved friend I will sadly miss. I first met Harris…
Read more >This year I caught 41 new releases and this list won’t be complete until I see some of the other films that I missed in theaters and am waiting to see online or haven’t dropped in Milwaukee or online yet (e.g., Cold War, If Beale Street Could Talk, Burning, Ollie and Stan). So this list will be updated in another…
Read more >This year I watched 32 television & streaming series, a bit less than last year’s 38. I spend a lot of time on flights, in hotels, and alone in cities so I get a lot of books, TV, and movies in along the way. My two top choices last year, Better Things and Master of None, weren’t on this year….
Read more >America was founded with an inspiring vision of a democratic society compromised by two original sins of white supremacy, slavery and genocide. Our nation has never fully reconciled and amended for either. Instead, these sins tragically evolved over time. While more and more of us understand the evolution of slavery through Jim Crow laws, widespread racial discrimination, and the prison…
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