• 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

African American Roundtable Invests in Northwest Milwaukee

March 10, 2023

By Karen Stokes

Markasa Tucker-Harris Executive Director (Photo/AART)

To create vibrant communities, the residents need a voice in the decisions that affect them.

After rallying since 2019 for the City of Milwaukee to establish a participatory budgeting process, on Feb 24, the African American Roundtable (AART) announced that it is launching a participatory budgeting program.

AART will invest $40,000 in community-led projects to improve the quality of life for Milwaukee residents on the Northwest Side. The organization states that this is an area that has seen decades of divestment, lack of leadership and neglect.

Residents will have the opportunity to propose, vote on and execute their program ideas. A steering committee composed of residents will be selected to determine eligibility, criteria for proposals and the amount each project will be awarded.

This is about changing lives and building community power,” said Devin Anderson, AART’s Membership and Coalition Manager. “We’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

The concept of participatory budgeting is not new in America. Various cities in the United States have already created participatory budgeting processes, Chicago, New York, Vallejo, Calif, Greensboro NC and Cambridge, Mass. have all implemented participatory budgeting to some degree.

A 2019 poll found strong support for several innovative approaches to local civic engagement, such as holding community discussions on relevant issues, surveying residents’ views, or proposing how to spend public money.

“In addition to improving the lives of people in Milwaukee, we’re hoping our program can be used as a blueprint in other communities across the country that are craving for change,” said Markasa Tucker-Harris, AART’s Executive Director. “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

The winners will be announced in the late fall. The success and long-lasting impact of this program will determine if it is funded again in 2024 and beyond.

AART will continue to advocate for participatory budgeting on the city level. Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which community members decide how public dollars are spent.

Visit liberatemke.com and aartmke.org to learn more about participatory budgeting.

Devin Anderson Membership and Coalition Manager (Photo/AART)

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: African American Roundtable, Devin Anderson, Karen Stokes, Markasa Tucker-Harris, Participatory Budgeting

Read More - Related Articles

  • Milwaukee Woman Writes her First Novel, Dedicating it to Women
  • Seniors Across the Country Are Saving Millions of Dollars in Health Care Costs
  • Heart Healthy Habits for Kids
  • Biden Unveils New Plan for Medicare
  • Women are Choosing Their Future in Construction

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.