MILWAUKEE — Progress comes one step at a time and there's progress being made in Milwaukee's effort to have more diversity in the workplace and corporate management.
"We have 125 companies that have signed a pledge, and the initiative is all about closing disparity gaps in the workplace, grow the number of managers that are Black and Brown by 25%," said Corry Joe Biddle, Vice President of Community Affairs at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC).
In 2018, MMAC launched its Region of Choice initiative to change the narrative around disparities for Black and Brown employees.
They set a 2023 goal to increase Black employment by 15% and the management ranks by 25%.
"We've got to make sure our economy is more inclusive," Biddle said @TheTable Tuesday night. "This was a stretch goal for us. But we also wanted it to be something that people wouldn't be afraid that we couldn't accomplish."
Four years later, all signs point to progress. The number of Black and Brown employees is up 12.3%, managers jumped 26% - exceeding the five-year goal.
"The Regional Choice companies are outpacing other companies in the region that hadn't signed the pledge," said Biddle.
To see more interviews with key people in our community, watch Charles Benson and Shannon Sims on TMJ4 at 10 p.m.
