• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • March 25, 2023

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

‘I Need this Country to Be Better for My Children’: Milwaukee Mothers Rally for Racial Justice

June 19, 2020

Princess Safiya Byers –
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.

Mothers gather outside the District 7 police station for a “Mad Moms” rally. (Photo by Bridget Fogarty)

Darrian “Dee-Dee” Davis, a Lincoln Creek resident, first talked to her son about police brutality when he was 3 years old and saw a news clip of a man being killed by officers.

So when protests began to engulf Milwaukee and other cities across the nation after the death of George Floyd, she knew she had to participate. And she wanted her son, who is now 8, to join in as well.

She quickly discovered the larger protests were not kid friendly. The youth-led marches created challenges as well because they were not “mama friendly” because participants moved too fast, she said.

What Milwaukee needed, Davis decided, was a space for mothers and their children to protest. On Friday night, Milwaukee mothers turned out in full force outside District 7 of the Milwaukee Police Department on West Fond Du Lac Avenue.

Mothers of all ages and races sat in front of the precinct for two hours.

“Regardless of the circumstances, all mothers can relate to each other because we all want what is best for our children,” Davis said. “And I want them to see us united.”

Maria Hamilton, the mother of Dontre Hamilton, who was shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer in 2014, attended the protest.

“Before the death of Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Mike Brown or George Floyd, there was the death of Dontre Hamilton here in our own city,” she said. “What took you all so long to get mad?”

Since her son’s death, Hamilton founded Mothers for Justice United, which advocates for and supports mothers who have lost children because of violence.

‘I am devastated’

Mothers gather outside the District 7 police station for a “Mad Moms” rally. (Photo by Bridget Fogarty)

Sandy Williams, a Menomonee Falls resident, has a 22-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter.

“Every time I see these murders on the news, I am devastated,” she said.

Friday’s “Mad Moms” protest was the first such event Williams has been able to attend.

“I am here not because I want to be, but because I need this country to be better for my children,” Williams said.

Emily Schoenfelder, a Riverwest resident and mother who attended the protest, came with supplies to make posters as well as food and drinks for the crowd.

“As parents we have a responsibility to educate our children,” she said. “Not only for their sake but for the sake of those they will cross paths with.”

Dasha Kelly Hamilton shared her experience with other moms.

“My daughter is all grown up now and has been attending protests the past few weeks,” said Milwaukee’s poet laureate. “My child stood with your child, and the police tear-gassed the peaceful crowd. They gassed my baby.”

She urged the mothers to have real talks on race with their children.

“Santa Claus and the tooth fairy – you handled those great,” she said. “Now tell these truths to.”

Added Kelly Hamilton: “Mama power ain’t new. What’s new is all these moms here together.”

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Mad Moms, Police Brutality, PrincessSafiya Byers, Protests, Racial Justice

Read More - Related Articles

  • Big Waiting List Points to Dire Need for Subsidized Housing in Milwaukee. Here’s What you Need to Know.
  • Students Get Into the Act-Literally-Thanks to Black Arts MKE
  • NNS Spotlight: ‘We Train Them Into a Job’: How Ezekiel CDC Transforms Homes, Neighborhoods and Lives
  • We Spent a Below-Freezing Night With Officials Counting Those Who are Homeless. Here’s What We Saw.
  • New Education Campaign Helps Milwaukeeans Fight Home-Appraisal Discrimination

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2023 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.