OUR HISTORY
The History of A-LEGO
“Too long have we been silent under unjust and unholy charges; we cannot expect to have them removed until we disprove them through ourselves.”
It seems no one can agree on whether or not leaders are born or bred. Some believe that leadership skills are with us when we are born or not and no amount of training will make us rise to the challenge if the "leadership gene" is absent. Others take the view that leadership skills can be at least be enhanced, if not developed from scratch, by experience, training, mentoring and circumstance. All it takes is for a person to step forward or step up.
In 1896, in response to a vicious attack on the character of African-American women by Southern Journalist, combined with the spread of disfranchisement, lynching and segregation, and the desire to “uplift” the race, black women organized a club movement that led to the formation of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). The organization’s founders included some of the most renowned African-American Women educators, community leaders, and civil-rights activists including: Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells just to name a few. The NACW wanted to improve the lives of impoverished African Americans of which helped women and children suffering from being poor, health, lack of education, decent clothing, and housing. In as much, this same mantle fell on Commissioner Hattie Daniels Rush and she arose to the occasion. It was the year 2015 God spoke to Commissioner Rush to call the women of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Community together to strategize and organize around the issues of Education, Criminal Justice, Physical and Mental Health, Human Trafficking, Family and Economic Development in as much giving them the name “A-LEGO” which stands for African American Ladies Empowered To Grow Opportunity.
The Mission of A-LEGO
The mission of A-LEGO is to help renew the community of Milwaukee by creating a new world of ideas and initiate thoroughly proven remedies towards activating lasting change. A-LEGO aims to deepen the understanding of the issues that must be resolved in order to achieve racial and ethical equity as our society moves through the great transformation of the 21st century.
A-LEGO founding meeting was held in July of 2015 at Yummy’s restaurant in Mequon, Wisconsin. In attendance was Senator Lena Taylor, Ericka Rush, Commissioner Hattie Daniels Rush, Deidra Copeland, Stephanie Finley, Alderwoman Milele Cobbs, and Senator Latonya Johnson. Today you can find A-LEGO Chapters in the state of Georgia and Illinois. A-LEGO released its first press conference on September 10, 2015 at The Mother Kathryn Daniels Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A Subsequent meeting was heled on August 1, 2015 at Yummy’s restaurant with 60 women in attendance. A-LEGO has some of Milwaukee leading ladies ready to make a positive impact and change in the community and the world aboard. Ideally, they are a symbol of trust, honor, friendship, security, confidence, peace and love among others. Like the NACW adopted the motto “ Lifting as we climb” A-LEGO continues to lead courageously, while lifting and climbing at the same time putting the pieces of our community back together again piece by piece, person by person, and one by one.
A-LEGO consists of approximately 100 members to date and as a collective group fully understands the contemporary problems of today. A-LEGO seeks to partner with research/data-driven organizations via the nation’s finest scholars, policy makers, and journalists. A-LEGO aims to see the community transformed into an oasis by rebuilding racial gaps in education, increasing financial income in minority families, reducing teen pregnancy, providing economic development opportunities, addressing health care concerns, helping families build better relationships and decreasing the incarceration rates of Black males in the criminal justice system.
The esteemed consortium consists of a laudable array of African American women spanning various professional and governmental sectors. The President of A-LEGO is Mrs. Hattie Daniels-Rush and the inaugural board includes Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Senator Lena Taylor, Senator Nikiya Harris-Dodd, State Representative Latonya Johnson, Alderwoman Milele Coggs and Commissioner Stephanie Findley.