Andrea Hooverson, “Future Voice for Our Black Men”
Mentor: Peter Blewett, English

The purpose of my digital story is to share my development during Multicultural America, a course in which we studied the challenges that our brothers and sisters face simply because of their ethnic or racial identity. Throughout the course we discussed and reflected on concepts such as structural oppression, systemic racism, redlining, and colorblindness. My story focuses particularly on the overrepresentation of Black males in jails and prisons, especially here in the state of Wisconsin, which has one of the highest incarceration rates for Black males in the United States. In Milwaukee County, nearly 1 in 8 Black men of working age had served some time in the state’s prison. Structural oppression and systemic racism help explain how the area within Milwaukee’s 53206 zip code has become one of the “most incarcerated” zip codes in the United States. My story reflects briefly on the struggle Black males face in Milwaukee in addition to integrating back into society. The digital story format allows me the opportunity to tell my story using images as well as words, so that a more diverse audience can learn from my story. Awareness of this struggle is the first step in confronting structural oppression, so that together we all can become better advocates for this population and can transform Milwaukee from being one of the worst places for Blacks to raise a child into a city that offers hope and promise to Black Families.