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Cardinal Stritch University

Leadership in the City Event

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 I had attended an awesome event embracing Leadership in the city. Kurt Schmoke, J.D. as the guest speaker embraced his tale of “No Final Victories”. Kurt Schmoke, J.D., spent most of his career working to improve the quality of life in cities. On Schmoke’s career journey as public prosecutor, former mayor of Baltimore, and now dean of the Howard University School of Law, has tackled the tough problems that plague urban areas.

As mayor, he initiated a number of programs in the areas of housing, education, public health and economic development. Schmoke is also very famous for is his adult literacy program (“The State That Reads”) developed in the Baltimore, MD as former mayor from 1987–1999. Schmoke’s accomplishments as a leader on his road of success were very inspiring to me. Schmoke’s speech left me with a lot of fruitful thoughts. Schmoke’s goal was to rebuild the distress in his community within education, public safety, and housing.

What inspired me about his goal for change, was a biblical inspirational story he had given about Nehemiah who was the cupbearer to the King Artaxerxes of Persia… hearing of the ruined condition of Jerusalem, Nehemiah prayed and then asked Artaxerxes to send him to Jerusalem as the governor. His request was granted, and Nehemiah organized the Jews, rebuilt the city walls, and reinstated religious observances of the Jewish law. Nehemiah organized the people, and was able to get them to identify their own issue and develop a solution (rebuilding the city walls). Nehemiah encouraged the people to develop and implement their own action plan, and they begin to get the job done.

This bibilcal story of Nehemiah had great empact on Schmoke’s vision for change. Throughout Schmoke’s speech he expressed his goals and accomoplishments, but as well explained the challeges that he had faced throughout his journey. One of Schmokes biggest projects as mayor, was improving a community of 80sq. miles, with a population of 700,000. Frustrated by years of crime, drugs and a never-ending battle with disrepair, city officials and many residents of Baltimore finally agreed that the Lafayette Courts public housing project simply could not be fixed.

The City of Baltimore blew up six high-rise public housing buildings as part of a strategy to replace rundown, overcrowded apartment buildings with town houses that will create a neighborhood setting, in which they did! Following Schmoke’s speech a panel discussion with Schmoke and local leaders was held, discussing the leadership opportunities and challenges for southeastern Wisconsin. As a young growing leader, this event has inspired me to continue dreaming, doing, and achieving.

Latonya Atkins