“No matter what, we’re human…” Ahmad Kweku Qawi, the chief operating officer for the YMCA of Racine, has not experienced racism in his life. But he is Muslim and has had more conflict over his faith than race. There he mentors black boys. And just because he’s black, he doesn’t pretend to understand their experiences. […]
Tag: racism
Posted inBlack Men Speak, Culture
Mike Jackson
“If you are at peace with yourself, the last thing you want to do is have hate coming out of your mouth.” — Mike Jackson Growing up in Racine, Mike Jackson has always been aware of the presence of racism but it’s not something that he lets dominate his life. How did he come to […]
Posted inBlack Men Speak, Culture
Logan Tyler Jr.
“Just because you are from the hood doesn’t mean you are a bad guy.” Logan Tyler Jr., 35, grew up on the south side of Racine where gunshots and screeching tires were the norm in the 1990s. He sees his life as beautiful now, but it wasn’t always that way. He was in prison three times, […]
Posted inBlack Men Speak, Culture
John Tate II
John Tate II is a social worker and common council member. He also graduated from Prairie School, a private school in Racine, Wisconsin. Tate talks about how being one of the few black people in the school impacted him, but he also talks about how he copes with racism. Check out more Black Men Speak […]
Posted inBlack Men Speak, Culture
Chester Todd Jr.
Chester Todd Jr. moved to Racine from Mayfield, Kentucky in 1951 when he was nine-years-old. This was the first time he had mixed with white people and at the time, racism was “very blatant” back then. Todd had a number of experiences with racism over his lifetime, including being made to shower two and three […]
Posted inBlack Men Speak, Culture
Alex Hart-Upendo
Alex Hart-Upendo, 11, is a fifth-grader and already owns his own company called Build-A-Bow. But he’s also already experienced racism several times, something he feels “is just not right.” Check out more Black Men Speak videos: Corey Prince Kevin Brown Chester Todd Jr. John Tate II Mike Jackson Logan Tyler Ahmad Kweku Qawi Carl Fields […]
Posted inCommunity, Letter to the Editor
Letter to the Editor: Let’s Stop Hating, Start Respecting Instead
**Editor’s Note: This Letter to the Editor was submitted by Racine resident Anna Laing. Why has so much hatred been unleashed in the United States? Native Americans and Immigrants from around the world have been subjected to hatred and discrimination from the beginning of this nation. Everyone in this country with the exception of Native […]