WHAT: High school students retrace steps of 16th street viaduct marches to explore & honor Civil Rights Movement in Milwaukee.
WHY: This walk marks the first physical steps in a Civil Rights Pilgrimage that students from these three high schools will be taking in early June when they will visit significant cities of the Civil Rights Movement through the lens of faith.
WHO:
- Reggie Jackson, Civil Rights Activist/Educator/Speaker & Head Docent at the Black Holocaust Museum of Milwaukee
- High school students and staff from Messmer HS, Marquette University HS, and DSHA HS
WHEN/WHERE:
- SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2018
- 3:00 Gather at MU Student Union (1442 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233)
3:30 Reggie Jackson speaks
4:30 Q&A with Jackson and students
5:00 Prayer and blessing of Milwaukee pilgrimage walk
5:15 Depart for/walk to 16th St. Bridge; walk across bridge and back (see map for route)
6:00 Return to MU Union
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, May 6th, high school students from Messmer High School, Marquette University and Divine Savior Holy Angels High School will come together and walk across the 16th Street Bridge, also known as the 16th Street Viaduct, that links Milwaukee’s North and South sides. They will begin at the Marquette University Student Union around 5:15 p.m., and walk across the bridge and back. This walk marks the first physical steps in a Civil Rights Pilgrimage that students from these three high schools will be taking in early June. At that time, they will visit significant cities of the Civil Rights Movement, and through the lens for faith and prayer, they will explore the impact of these cities and their history on our current life in Milwaukee.
The 16th Street Bridge was chosen for the first steps in the pilgrimage because of its significance to the Civil Rights Movement of Milwaukee. It was once considered the “Mason-Dixon Line” of Milwaukee for separating the city’s white and black communities. In the 1960s, African American communities largely lived on the city’s North side, while the South side was predominantly occupied by white residents. On Monday, August 28th, 1967, 200 NAACP Youth Council members and supporters, led by Father James E. Groppi, crossed the bridge beginning on the North side and landing at Kosciuszko Park on the South side. The marchers were unfortunately greeted by thousands of white counter-protestors and the crowd was violent, throwing eggs, rocks and bottles and the Youth Council members. But the group marched again on the following night facing over 13,000 protestors. These two marches led to over 200 marches in total, each calling for open housing legislation. And in December 1967, these marches eventually led to an open housing ordinance in the city. In 1988, Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist and the Milwaukee Common Council renamed the 16th Street Bridge the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge.
Sunday’s event will also feature a talk delivered by Reggie Jackson, an educator and consultant, local speaker, and head docent at the Black Holocaust Museum here in Milwaukee. He will share some reflections and challenges about working in the area of Civil Rights and racial justice with students before they head out the June pilgrimage where they will visit cities such as Memphis, Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, and St. Louis. Jackson will speak at around 3:30pm at the Marquette Student Union.