First 'On the Table' draws thousands to brainstorm ways to improve Milwaukee area

Since 2008, Milwaukee photographer Sherry Lemke has been crisscrossing the region capturing the beauty and richness of Milwaukee's diversity in portraits of the people who call it home.

The subjects in her "Many Faces / One Humanity" project are black and white and every hue in between. They sport sport coats and flowing dresses, turbans and kilts, piercings and tattoos, even the saffron robes of a Buddhist monk.

Lemke was among more than 5,000 people who gathered throughout the Milwaukee area Tuesday, in groups large and small, as part of southeastern Wisconsin's first-ever On the Table initiative.

The goal was to bring people together — over a meal and in many cases across wide social and political divides — to brainstorm ways to improve their communities. And based on the myriad topics they tackled — from diversity and racial inequity to homelessness, human trafficking, the role of arts as a hub of innovation, and how to nurture future leaders — virtually nothing was off the table.

"My hope is that we can foster a community of respect and equality and connections," said Lemke, who convened a discussion on diversity as an asset — one of dozens of roundtables gathered for a kickoff event at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee Tuesday.

At least 200 gatherings were scheduled throughout the day, in private homes and coffee shops, at schools and universities and workplaces across the four-county area, according to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, which sponsored the events.

In addition to individuals, a broad range of organizations signed up to host discussions, including the Medical College of Wisconsin, GE Health Care, the Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee Bucks, the social networking group NEWaukee, the storytelling organization Ex-Fabula and a host of others.

“One thing we know is that every significant positive social change starts with conversation,” said Marcus White, vice president of civic engagement at the foundation.

“So, we are inviting people to ... be part of a civil dialogue and focus on what each of us can contribute to building a stronger, more vibrant, more unified region,” he said.

White kicked off the event at the Pfister by passing a microphone around the ballroom asking participants to share something they "love or are proud of about where they live." People cited Milwaukee's diversity; its majestic lakefront; the public art along Wisconsin Ave.; the work of Milwaukee Public Schools; and the tenacity and enthusiasm of residents willing to tackle the issues that undermine the region, including poverty, segregation and racial and socioeconomic disparities.

"I love the fact that Milwaukee keeps trying," said restaurateur Joe Bartolotta, who took part in a roundtable hosted by VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO Paul Upchurch titled “Milwaukee’s Ideal Future.”

"We have enormous obstacles in front of us. We all know what the issues are. But we don't seem to give up. There's always an effort to continue to make the city better," he said.

The new initiative is being modeled after the annual event launched by the Chicago Community Trust in 2014. Its May 2016 event drew some 55,000 area residents.

The Milwaukee foundation has been promoting the event since July, offering resources on its website for conversation hosts. As of Tuesday, more than 5,200 people had registered to take part. 

One of those was Jill Morin of Wauwatosa, who with her husband, Kent, was hosting a dinner for about nine guests, some of whom had never met each other before. Like many of the conveners, she expects race to be among the topics her guests will take up.

"We hope this is really just the beginning of more people willing to talk with one another — and listen to one another — and not just like-minded people," she said.

Dennis Griffin Jr., principal at Prairie Elementary School in Waukesha, said discussions about race are among the difficult conversations people need to have.

"If we're going to facilitate real change, we have to be able to talk about the issues in our communities," said Griffin, an African-American man who took part in a discussion titled "Equity begins with you," hosted by white fellow principal Mary Garcia Velez.

For Ranjit Singh of Brookfield, an electrical controls engineer who was part of photographer Lemke's discussion on diversity, it begins with opening yourself to the goodness of others.

"If you can just see the humanity in each other," said Singh, lifting an empty coffee cup to make his point.

"It's like rain. We're always being showered with blessings, but we cannot capture that unless our cup us up," he said, turning it in his hand.

"When we open our hearts and trust each other ... we can make this a better place for ourselves and the future generation."