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FATHER JAMES GROPPI AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MARCHES IN MILWAUKEE

James Groppi was born on November 16, 1930 to Italian immigrant parents. He was one of 12 children in the family. Groppi was raised in Bay View, Wisconsin, and worked at his family’s grocery store. Father Groppi was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest in 1959 and was assigned to St. Boniface Parish, a predominately black parish in the inner city of Milwaukee.

During the early 1960’s, Father Groppi was involved in the Civil Rights Movement on a national scale. He was involved in the March on Washington in 1963, the Selma March in 1965, worked with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on the voter registration project, was a NAACP advisor for the Milwaukee Youth Council organizing an all black male group called the “Milwaukee Commandos” that helped stop violence during local marches. His time in Selma was what inspired him to lead a large demonstration for fair housing in Milwaukee. According to a quote from John Gurda’s book, __The Making of Milwaukee__, Father Groppi once said that he was, “struck by the hypocrisy of Northern liberals who traveled hundreds of miles to confront Southern racism but ignored the prejudice in their own back yards.” Father Groppi had marched with Dr. Martin Luther King and had been given Dr. King’s support for his human rights work.

Milwaukee’s Black population had grown by almost 600 percent from 1940 to 1960. African Americans were migrating to the city in search of industry jobs during WWII. Since the end of the Civil War, African Americans had struggled for their rights under the laws. Milwaukee was no different. Racial segregation in the North was a matter of “historical custom” based on prejudice rather than laws. Milwaukee was one of the most segregated cities in the nation at this time. Most African Americans lived in the inner core of the city. By the 1960’s, that area had become increasingly unsettled because of low job opportunities, poverty and segregation. In 1967, riots broke out in Milwaukee after police tried to stop fights at a downtown entertainment establishment. Mayer Henry Maier declared a state of emergency and asked the governor to call out the National Guard. Eight days later there were four dead and 1500 arrests. This was a time of national unrest and it had now arrived in Milwaukee as well.

During the summer of 1967, Father Groppi led a campaign in Milwaukee to secure a city-wide open housing ordinance that would give citizens the right to rent or own property anywhere, regardless of race, color or religion. Fr. Groppi led a march in August, 1967, across the 16th Street Viaduct to Kosciuszko Park on the South Side in a predominately White neighborhood to bring attention to the fair and open housing cause. The marchers were met with an angry mob of White counter demonstrators who threw bottles, had burning effigies, and shouted obscenities at Father Groppi and his group. The 16th Street Viaduct crosses over the Menomonee Valley, which is considered the “cultural divide” between black and white in Milwaukee.

The White counter demonstrators, mostly Polish-Americans, brought their anger to the residence of Archbishop William Cousins. They arrived carrying a coffin with “Father Groppi Rest in Hell” written on it, and demanded an end to Fr. Groppi’s marches. Archbishop Cousins said that he would consider their argument. Cousins then made a statement supporting Fr. Groppi’s objectives but not his methods. Archbishop Cousins was under a lot of pressure to discipline Groppi. He had received hate mail and telephone calls. Some Catholics quit the Church, and others withheld contributions. The Archbishop said that Groppi had become and issue himself and that, “people are so disturbed by his actions that they lose sight of the cause for which he is fighting - that of freedom and human dignity. As Christians, we favor the same cause, but many are being sidetracked into a hate campaign against one man.”

The Priest Senate of the Milwaukee Roman Catholic Archdiocese and three Wisconsin Lutheran district presidents backed Groppi with public statements calling for legislation on open housing in Milwaukee. After passage of the 1968 Civil Rights Act which included open occupancy provisions, Milwaukee passed its own strong open housing provision.

Father James Groppi is remembered as a prominent Civil Rights figure not only in Milwaukee, but nationally as well. Father Groppi was voted “Religious Newsmaker of the Year” in 1967 by the Associated Press. In his honor, in 1988, Mayor John Norquist, Milwaukee, named the 16th Street Viaduct, the Father Groppi Unity Bridge. Father Groppi will be remembered as a man who made big changes happen in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Historical Society __[]__

Italian American History and Heroes __[]__

Express Milwaukee.Com Article: “James Groppi’s Battle” __[]__

TIME Article: “Roman Catholics: Support for Ajax” __[]__

Archdiocese of Milwaukee __[]__