A commitment to raising the number of African American and Hispanic/Latino managers and employees in Metro Milwaukee.
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On September 26, at its 158th All Member Meeting, MMAC announced the first round of commitments to “Making Milwaukee a Region of Choice.” An initial group of 64 employers representing 128,000 metro employees have signed a pledge of commitment to diversify their workplaces.
Now, all MMAC member companies are invited to join this effort by taking the pledge. or fill out this pledge form and return it by email, fax: 414/271-7753 or mail to:
MMAC - Region of Choice Pledge 756 N. Milwaukee St., 4th floor | Milwaukee, WI 53202 Details With the goal of making Milwaukee’s workplaces and community more welcoming, companies taking the pledge are committing to increase the number of African-American and Hispanic/Latino employees in Metro Milwaukee by 15 percent, and the number of African-American and Hispanic/Latino managers in Metro Milwaukee by 25 percent, by 2025. MMAC will use 2019 data from employers to set a baseline, then will report aggregate data on an annual basis to track progress.
Background A 2018 survey of the MMAC’s Board members and CEOs of its member companies identified racial disparities as the biggest challenge facing the Milwaukee Region. Based on that feedback, MMAC formed a taskforce to conduct comprehensive research on the challenges and opportunities that diverse management employees face in Metro Milwaukee through a survey, focus groups and listening sessions. |
“As a business community, we have a significant role to play in resolving the stark racial disparities we see in Metro Milwaukee.” "We will never reach our full potential unless Milwaukee can become a Region of Choice for all – a place where anyone from any background would want to live and work. When Milwaukee’s companies and community make an intentional effort to ensure that their doors are open to everyone, we will see more of our young people want to build a career here and more talented employees who want to move here.” |
Key research takeaways
More 1,100 respondents to a survey said:
- 60% believe that diversity and inclusion efforts at their company are focused on meeting compliance goals, not on improving company culture.
- 62% of African-American managers feel they have limited exposure to opportunities.
- 56% of Hispanic/Latino managers feel they are overlooked or ignored.
- 43% of diverse managers felt discrimination or bias in their workplace.
- Outside of their workplace, 64% felt discrimination in the community.
Next Steps
Over the next few months, MMAC will be assembling a Task Force to operationalize a roadmap of strategies for companies and organizations of all sizes to contribute to this effort. All metro are companies are encouraged to sign the pledge and commit to making Milwaukee a Region of Choice for diverse talent. Stay tuned for updates and more information.