Antoine Carter brings his authentic self to his role as the director of philanthropy for the Milwaukee Public Library. (Photo by PrincessSafiya Byers)
By PrincessSafiya Byers
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.
For over a decade, Antoine Carter has transformed vacant lots in Milwaukee into community gardens, established pocket parks and used art to address community issues like public safety, youth development and civic engagement.
Carter’s work has positioned him as a leader in placemaking, where he is not only reshaping space in Milwaukee but also redefining what it means to lead in the city.
Placemaking is a process where communities transform dilapidated spaces like vacant lots into spaces the community can use.
“I know Milwaukee has potential,” Carter said. “I think Milwaukee hasn’t found its next act after industry left, but if one person just took a chance on the potential of Milwaukee, they’d be shocked by what they would get.”
Working toward access
For the last two years, Carter has worked as the director of philanthropy for the Milwaukee Public Library.
He works to ensure the library has the resources to grow its programs and remain a vital public institution.
Libraries are not just literacy hubs but also serve as community spaces, service providers and shelters during extreme weather.
Recently, Carter’s work has centered on fundraising for the building of the new Martin Luther King Library.
“I grew up on the East Side, that was my childhood library,” he said. “So being able to be a part of transforming a neighborhood with access that helps a community thrive, I think it’s something that I’m really, really proud of. Because in 50 years, it’ll still be there.”
Melody McCurtis, the deputy director and lead organizer of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a neighborhood group, said Carter is someone who sincerely believes in community.
“I don’t think many people understand how much he’s involved because he’s so behind the scenes,” she said. “He believes in communities having access and being able to thrive.”
Rooted in authencity
Growing up in Milwaukee’s Amani neighborhood, Carter resisted the pressures many of his peers faced.
Amani extends from North 20th Street to North 30th Street and West Keefe Avenue to West North Avenue, except from North 27th Street to North 30th Street south of West Center Street.
“Leaning into my mission of being authentic, I didn’t sell drugs, and I wasn’t bullied or demeaned,” he said. “As a Black person, being myself in a nonconventional way in my community helped me be my authentic self in other spaces.”
As a hip-hop enthusiast, on an average day in the office, Carter wears a sports cap paired with sneakers.
“Despite what position I have, I still try to look like a normal person who was raised through hip-hop,” he said. “I don’t doubt I would’ve achieved certain things sooner if I’d cut my hair and stopped wearing hats but I didn’t because it’s me.”
Carter brings a fresh perspective to philanthropy, rooted in relationships and trust.
“I’ve seen him broker relationships that wouldn’t be without him,” McCurtis said. “He can see how polar opposite communities can connect for the betterment of a community.”
His authenticity is what his mom is most proud of.
“I could care less about the accolades. I am proud of the man Antoine is,” said Cynthia Burrell, Carter’s mom. “He is gentle, passionate and goal-oriented. He cares for his family and is an amazing father. That’s what I’m proud of.”
A legacy of civic engagement
In addition to his role as the director of philanthropy for the Milwaukee Public Library, Carter is also the curator for the artist in residency at the Wisconsin Club, an adjunct instructor for the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and a member of a local kickball league.
Carter credits his success to his mother and former Riverside University High School teacher Thomas Wilde, whose African American literature class was “the most influential class I’ve ever taken,” Carter said.
Carter’s first community-facing job with Groundwork Milwaukee resulted from attending a meeting with his mother, who started a community garden.
Groundwork works to create community green spaces across the city.
“I think she’s (his mom) always had a civic perspective, where I can remember watching the news with her or the TV shows like . . . the city channel and I’d watch it with her,” Carter said. “I thought my mom just liked hearing people complain about the bars but she was actually giving me antennas to pick up on civic issues.”
At his mom’s meeting, Carter hit it off with the folks he met from Groundwork and started off as a youth leader with the group shortly after.
Carter spent over six years at Groundwork, working with youths on transforming park space that had been overwhelmed with weeds or vacant lots that needed to turn into community gardens.
“I didn’t think he’d pick up on it,” said Burrell, Carter’s mom. “I just wanted him to be knowledgeable of where he lived and how he lived.”
All in all, Carter views his work as a tribute to his family, both old and young.
“I feel like working toward a better Milwaukee gives tribute to my mom for caring and my grandparents who raised a family here,” he said. “I want to leave Milwaukee in a better place for my son if he decides to stay here.”