Lisa Jones Builds Grassroot Power through Community Connections —

BY ERIN BLOODGOOD

When Jay Anderson was killed by a Wauwatosa police officer in 2016, it hit home for Lisa Jones, the Executive Director and Lead Organizer of Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH). At the time, she was living down the street from the park where Anderson was shot to death while sitting in his car. “It just disturbed me that I would be driving past this park,” she said. “One day I actually pulled into a parking spot, and I thought, ‘could this be the spot?’”

Jones now leads MICAH, a Milwaukee-based organization of multiracial and interfaith organizations that fight for justice issues such as criminal justice reform, fair housing, education, health care, and more. But until 2016, Jones was not involved in social or racial justice movements, although she was acutely aware of the unjust systems in our country since a young age.

Growing up as a Black girl in a predominantly white neighborhood in Bayside, Jones experienced racism first-hand. She remembers being called racial slurs more than once. As an adult, she closely follows news reports, like the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Dontre Hamilton who were killed by the police—understanding that it is far more likely to see Black men and people of color fall victim to police violence.

It wasn’t until Jay Anderson was killed in her own neighborhood that she felt she needed to get involved and change our oppressive systems in some way. She thought to herself, “Am I just going to sit by and cry because of the next person who is murdered by the police? More than likely, they are going to look like me.”

HARNESSING THE POWER OF FAITH

Not knowing where to start, Jones began attending prayer vigils for the Anderson family and offering her support using her training in lay pastoral care. She then found her way to a Coalition for Justice meeting led by Markasa Tucker and Nate Hamilton. Since then, she hasn’t looked back.

In April of 2019, Jones was officially hired onto MICAH as the Leader Organizer and Executive Director. Now a leader and role model to many in Milwaukee, she puts her heart and soul into harvesting the power of community connections to create a more livable and just city for people of all races and religious beliefs. MICAH is unique in the wide array of religious organizations and congregations that make up its membership base and the multiracial crowds that show up at their events. “When you go to our events and see this religious diversity, it’s a picture in time,” says Jones. “This is beloved community. It’s a little pocket of us working together in unison on a common goal.”

Through Jones’ leadership and its long legacy of social justice advocacy, MICAH has created real grassroot power by creating trust and building long-term relationships. They have shown that community-led movements can make a real impact on the lives of underrepresented citizens. Now in the midst of statewide discussions around fair housing, affordable healthcare and justice reform, they are thinking about how they can strengthen community influence and create systematic change on a larger scale.

Learn more about MICAH’s work on their website at micahmke.org.

Erin Bloodgood is a Milwaukee photographer and storyteller. See more of her work on her website, bloodgoodfoto.com.