Oral+History+Backround

Subject: Summer of 1967 and Civil Rights Movement in Milwaukee Person in Interview: Grace Millen My Grandma

Milwaukee had small percentage of African Americans before World War II. However, after World War II the population of African Americans in Milwaukee had increased by 600 percent. Milwaukee was one of the most segregated cities in the nation at the time that the Civil Rights movement started. Two areas, the North Shore and the Inner Core, mostly separated Milwaukee. Hispanics and African Americans inhabited the Inner Core. The Inner Core was poverty-stricken and became the center of violence in Milwaukee. Moreover, the North Shore held the white population and was a very wealthy neighborhood.

As the Civil Rights movement expanded, Milwaukee natives never thought that the boycotts and marches of the Deep South could ever come to Milwaukee. As the movement grew in Wisconsin, the reforming efforts concentrated on housing and school segregation. One of the first marches in Milwaukee was by the NAACP. They marched to Kosiuszko Park in a white neighborhood to protest housing Legislation. Later, the NAACP found out that 90% of students in inner city schools were African American. The movement really started to heat up in Milwaukee in the summer of 1967.

Police brutality continued all around the United States during this time period. As the brutality continued an offspring of riots occurred throughout the mid-west. Places like Detroit had some very violent riots during this time and was one of the most famous cities for the riots. Riots roamed through the city of Milwaukee; finally the National Guard was called into regain control of the city. The National Guard is also sent in to help with the 24-hour curfew. This curfew did not let people leave their homes. The curfew was later shortened to 7am-5: 30pm. Two major events happened that really impacted the movement in Milwaukee. The first one is when 18-year-old Clifford McKissick was gunned down by the police. This sparks an outrage within the activist group and also impacted the people who opposed the movement. The second event was when 9 policemen are shot at the home of John Tucker. 8 of the 9 men survive the shooting but this event really hits home. People think that all these riots will do is kill people and that the movement should end. The people don’t support the movement as much anymore.

In the end of the movement in Milwaukee 3 people die. The largest protest in Milwaukee’s history takes place where 1,000 people stretching over 3 blocks protest for open housing. This protest is covered by national media and was described as the “Selma of the North.” In the end 1,740 people are arrested during the summer of 1967.

Sources: http://ww2.madonna.edu/NEH/12/riots.htm http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/32420114.html http://www.blackthursday.uwosh.edu/milwaukee.html http://maghis.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/1/17.extract

media type="custom" key="18680400"